Blue Roses
by Wendy McCalister
Summary: Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **A/N:** Hey, you guys, I'm finally back! I know, I know. Yet another multiple-chapter story. Well, there's no need to worry. This fic is already completed – I took the time of finishing it before posting it here. However, I will not be posting the chapters all at once. Instead, I plan to update this once a week on Friday. I know I should probably just post them all at the same time… but oh well. I'll stop my uninteresting blabbering here. On to the story!

 **Chapter 1**

 _"_ _Hey, Botan-chan…"_

 _"_ _Hmm? What is it, Shuichi-kun?"_

 _"_ _If I… asked you to marry me, would you?"_

 _"_ _We're still too young, Shu—"_

 _"_ _I_ _ **know**_ _that! I mean, in the future, if… if I were to become a better, stronger man, and asked you to marry me would you?"_

 _"…_ _Yep. Because I like you, Shuichi-kun."_

 _"_ _Then… I'll become a better man and come back to marry you—_

 _—_ _Because I like you, too, Botan-chan."_

* * *

"Hey, Botan."

The said girl turned to look at her brunette best friend, Keiko Yukimura. She regarded Keiko with a big grin, one that everyone around her had recognized as her trademark smile.

Botan Fukuyama, age 22, occupation: salesgirl, have friends from all walks of life because she apparently has a deep love for traveling, and is described to be cheerful, bubbly, and kind, although a bit of a ditz and temperamental if angered at times. Now you'd think that a pretty girl with long, exotic blue hair and vibrant, beautiful pair of amethyst eyes such as herself would already have a boyfriend, but _no_. Despite being called one of the sought after girls at her work place, Botan apparently doesn't have any interest in guys other than her customers – which practically meant that all that matters to her, is her job – with the exception of her family and friends, of course. They matter, too, mind you.

Well, that's about to change soon enough.

"What is it, Keiko?" she asked, tilting her head to the side in a questioning manner. She watched as Keiko wrapped the strap of her purse around her shoulder.

"Shizuru's asking if we want to go karaoke after this, and Yukina's going as well. I want to go, too, but do you?" Keiko inquired her with an arched eyebrow. She hoped her friend would say yes, but alas, she would be disappointed.

Botan, after having slipped on her white sandals, clapped her hands together in a form of asking for forgiveness. "Sorry, Keiko, I can't!" she exclaimed, sending the other girl an apologetic smile.

Keiko's mouth formed a pout. "Aw, come on, Botan!" she continued to persuade her, hooking her arms around the bluenette's and rubbing her cheeks against the other's, as if that would be enough to get her to agree.

A laugh began to build in Botan's chest, before erupting from her throat. She almost gave in –after all it was rare to see her best friend making such a childish and adorable display, as _she_ was the one always doing that sort of thing – but quickly remembered the reason she couldn't go.

"I mean it, Keiko, I really can't. I've gotta meet up with my father after this," she explained, studying the brunette with an amused grin as she pulled away, releasing her. Botan could have sworn Keiko was making what seemed like a duck face – again, kinda rare.

"Alright, fine," Keiko relented after a short while of silence. It wasn't as if she could interfere with other people's plans. And Botan wouldn't have let her even if she did, anyway.

"How come he's asking to see you now? I mean, it didn't seem like he particularly cared about you when he didn't bother to contact you – even once – for three months. I mean, does he even _know_ where you live?" she went on, eyeing her friend slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

Botan didn't answer at once, and headed for the door instead. She couldn't resist the urge to grin; she was well aware of the fact Keiko held an understandably high amount of dislike towards her father – her only parent – seeing as he practically prioritized his work than his own daughter, which meant he had abandoned her on more than a few occasions. He wasn't always like that, but he'd changed a lot since her mother's and his wife's death. Botan didn't particularly mind, to be honest, both due to the reasons that she had gotten quite used to it over the years, and also that she didn't give him much thought, either (she figured it would hurt less that way).

"I don't know, but I'm gonna see him, anyway," she answered, opening the door, and without waiting for Keiko to reply – which she was about to, if I might add – Botan looked back from her shoulder and said, "See you later, Kei! I'll treat you lunch sometime to make it up to you," and proceeded to wave goodbye at her best friend. With that, she shut the door behind her, Keiko's "Botan, wait!" going unnoticed by the blue haired girl.

* * *

Botan glanced around the restaurant, noting the waiters in tailcoats, and the waitresses in laced, white and black outfits. She took a seat at one of the nice, polished – and _shining_ – glass-surfaced tables, still eyeing the restaurant mutely as she placed her backpack on the chair – which was also _shining_! – beside her. Apparently her father had not arrived yet, which left her with no choice but to wait.

Speaking of her father, figures he'd choose a fancy restaurant as their meeting place. Botan wasn't entirely certain how to take it. Yes, her family was rich. But, she'd rather not depend too much on her parents' money, that was why she worked as a salesgirl, anyway – and she was damn proud of that fact. Yet, she was also aware of the fact that she had no right to tell her father how to live their lives, even if she was his daughter. Heck, even her mother lived the rest of her life as something that greatly resembled that of a queen; she had no qualms of using her own money, but she didn't force her beliefs of money into Botan's throat like her father seemed to be relentless on doing. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but wish at times that her father would choose… an ordinary lifestyle for at least once in his entire life… Then again, if he had the money, _why_ would he?

Heaving a mental sigh, Botan sat both arms on the table, cupping both palms on her two cheeks as she politely declined a waiter's question of her choice of dinner that night. She wasn't really sure if she could eat with all the nervousness in her system, but then again, her father most likely wouldn't allow her to eat without him. He was that type of man, after all, and Botan was in no mood to be reprimanded by him as being a "sorry excuse of a lady' – not that she was ladylike, in any way at all, but again and again, she pretended to be an exact image of that particular description; poise, elegance and manners never forgotten once she was in her father's presence.

 _Speak of the devil,_ she mused with a small smile as she saw the doors slid open to allow a man, 7 ft tall, with dark, trimmed blue hair and equally dark, composed purple eyes, dressed in a black business suit, to enter. Her father, Yukio Fukuyama, reached a hand to fix his tie, before glancing around the restaurant, as if looking for someone. When he had found her, Botan waved a hand, a friendly grin etched on her lips. He didn't smile back – then again, it wasn't as if she expected him to – and merely made his way to her table. Even in the way he walked, he still resembled the perfect image of a perfect gentleman. Perhaps that was why he still managed to attract girls, even younger his age, although he was a man in his 30's, and with a dead wife, no less.

"I see you haven't ordered anything," Yukio murmured, pulling his chair back gracefully before sitting down. He looked at her smiling face, and finally, allowed the corners of his mouth to curl upwards into the softest smile he could pull.

Either he was smiling because he was actually genuinely happy to see her, or if he was just pleased at the fact that she had restrained herself from eating because she had apparently became " a lady he could eventually admit proudly as a good and obedient daughter", Botan wasn't sure. But, she couldn't resist the urge to broaden the quirk of her lips slightly. Well, she appreciated it, anyway. It was rare to see him smile these days, after all.

"I didn't want to eat without you, father," she responded curtly, and nodded her head his way. Shifting her position, Botan leaned back in her chair, and for a moment, couldn't help but think how weird it was the word "father" rolled off her tongue. It still felt odd, for some reason. Probably because she was used to call him "dad"… but she hadn't called him that since she was sixteen.

"I see," He nodded his head, and for a brief second, she could see his smile widening a little, before faltering and reducing to the usual serious thin line. "However, we cannot eat together tonight, as I will be going to America fifteen minutes after for some business to discuss. So, I would have liked it if you _had_ ordered something. Regardless, I am pleased to see that you haven't lost any of your manners during my absence." His tone was monotous, and it took Botan her hardest not to drop her smile.

Of course, he rarely had any time for his daughter.

She tried not to focus too much on that painful thought, and instead, mused over the reason why he would want to see her fifteen minutes before flying to America for his "business", which she already assumed as important – as it always was. He wouldn't waste his time doing such a "preposterous" thing, now would he?

Unless, he had something relevant he needed to talk to her.

"Anyway, I've come here to discuss something of very importance with you," he spoke, when he realized she was unresponsive. Oh, and she was right.

She nodded her head, feigning interest. "Oh? And what could that be?" she forced out the words, despite not really wanting to know what it was. It was probably nothing that important – to her, anyway. She looked down to her hands.

"Do you remember Shuichi?"

At the question, Botan's head shot up again to regard Yukio with a surprised stare. "Shuichi? You mean, Shuichi Minamino?" she questioned to make sure she wasn't hearing things. Surely, he didn't mean…

She earned a nod.

Oh, _god_ …

"Yes, that's him," he answered, brows furrowing as he watched her open and close her mouth like a stupid fish. "He was your best friend, was he not?"

"Was," she echoed the word in a low whisper, and for a moment, the revelation hit her how much she really missed Shuichi. Her redheaded, emerald-eyed, kind and polite, best friend, Shuichi Minamino. She would admit that she had been watching him, albeit only from the television; he was ridiculously famous, not only due to his charming, good looks, but also the fact that he was young _and_ talented. And he was an actor. She was proud and happy for him, of course, but he seemed like a different person. He even _felt_ like it.

Why was her father bringing him up now?

Yukio arched an eyebrow at her, baffled by her silence. "Wasn't he?" he prodded.

For a moment, Botan only gaped at him, eyes wide and utterly dumbfounded… but then, she quickly recovered and found her voice again. "Y-yes, he was," she managed to croak out.

Her hands suddenly felt cold.

He was still bewildered by her weird display of behavior, but decided that it was best if he let it be. She was surprised, is all. Now, just imagine the look on her face if he told her _the_ news…

"Right." Yukio cleared his throat. "Anyway, you are scheduled to meet him tomorrow at his parents' place—"

"Tokyo?!"

"Yes, Tokyo. You will be going to Tokyo. And if I might suggest, you also need to pack some of your private belongings before you go. You should be well prepared, and pack tonight before leaving tomorrow first thing in the morning and—"

Botan suddenly felt dizzy with all the information. For god's sake, let her take a moment to let her sink it in, alright?! "W-wait a second. What do you mean, pack my private belongings? Why would I need to—"

"Because you will be staying with Shuichi in a one of the mansions he owns. It will be your new home from now on—"

"But _why_?!"

For a moment, her father was silent. And he just stared.

And in that moment, Botan held a breath in her throat, her heart thumping loud in her chest. Good god, please don't let it be…

"You are engaged to him, Botan," he finally said, the words leaving his lips causing the girl to gaze at him blankly.

She blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Then, when the information finally sunk in—

—she fainted.

* * *

Fingers tapping impatiently on an elbow.

One leg also tapping impatiently on the floor.

Emerald eyes glared at the man sitting across him at the table.

Shuichi Minamino, also known as Kurama, age 22, occupation: young, talented actor whom everyone – mostly girls, _his_ fan girls – absolutely loves and worships, sat on a soft, comfy red velvet couch with a dark, heated glare in his usually vibrant pools of emeralds. One hand tapping at his elbow, and one leg tapping on the floor – both appendages tapping rather impatiently – he was resembling the exact image of what one would perceive as a very pissed off man. And he _was_ pissed off. Although, in his vocabulary, he would prefer to use more respectable words, such as angry or upset. But then again, _pissed off_ sounded like it definitely hit the jackpot.

His red hair was terribly disheveled, looking as if he had just escaped from a brutal fist fight. Although, it was close. He couldn't imagine how thousands of girls could even think that tackling him to the ground at the same time was a sure way to show him how much they apparently adored him. Fortunately for his bodyguard and best friend, Kuronue, who had just arrived precisely on time and rescued him from his crazy mob of groupies.

He should have them killed one day.

An evil smirk slowly crossed his lips. _One day, yes…_

Anyway, now you'd think after being tackled by a group of insane fan girls was bad enough, and understandably, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more but a good sleep on his own bed, but one individual had the nerve of disturbing his plans of a well deserved – and not to mention, very, _very_ deep slumber – by barging in to his apartment.

That individual was lucky that he was his father – or, step father, in this case.

"Please stop glaring, Shuichi," Kazuya Hatanaka spoke in a calm tone, as he settled his cup of coffee back to its original place on the wooden table. "You look like you want to burn holes into my head."

"I'm tired," Kurama responded, his voice laced with irritation. "I want to sleep."

Kazuya sent him a sympathetic smile; it would seem he had already been made aware of what had occurred to Kurama earlier, and of course, he pitied his step son. But, he had just the right plan to solve Kurama's ever pain-in-the-ass bunch of loopy groupies.

"I understand," he said, nodding his head. "However, like I had told you before – and will tell you again and again – if you just have a girlfriend, then they would get the idea and leave you alone."

The redhead resisted the urge to groan, and settled with rolling his eyes instead. "I know, I know." How many times did Kazuya have to tell him that? "But, there is _no_ girl out there who is good enough to suit my standards."

"Your standards are ridiculously high," his step father countered, giving out a patient smile as Kurama once again shot him another heated glare, "Of course, there will never be a girl good enough for you, Shuichi."

"Stop calling me that," Kurama grumbled under his breath as he crossed one leg over the other, draping his arms over his couch as he leaned back in it, "I hate it when people call me that. My name is Kurama now."

Kazuya's patient smile was replaced by a bitter one. "Your mother used to call you that before she passed away."

"And she was the only one I allowed to call me by that—that aggravating name," Kurama let out a growl, his eyebrows creased in frustration. Although, one was noticeably twitching. "Only because I love her, and she wouldn't stop no matter how many times I told her not to."

"Why do you despise that name so much?" Kazuya murmured in a barely audible sentence, now fixing his gaze on his coffee. It had gone a little cold, he mentally noted to himself as he reached out to grab it.

Kurama didn't answer.

'Shuichi' was him before he became Kurama. Before he realized how good he is at acting, before he could memorize fifty lines in just five minutes, easy as breathing, and with his eyes closed (don't question him, he literally tried that). 'Shuichi' was the boy he was before he realized his true potential. That boy who couldn't do anything right.

'Shuichi' was dead to him, but for some reason, his family always likes to remind Kurama of the past 'him'. He's been telling them to call him Kurama for two years now, but they've never called him that. Not even once.

Kazuya took the redhead's silence as a cue for him to drop the subject.

"Alright, putting that aside, I have more important matters to talk about with you, Shu—" He bit his lip. He almost slipped out Kurama's real name, and he hoped inwardly that the boy didn't notice. Usually, Kazuya would still call him that, no matter how angry he would get. But tonight, he was reluctant. Kurama was obviously in a bad mood; it was best if he did not worsen it.

Fortunately, Kurama didn't notice – or pretended not to. "What matters, exactly?"

"Well, I was thinking, if you really want to drive your fan girls away, then—"

Kurama rolled his eyes, and this time, he did expel a loud, exasperated groan. "Again with _that_?!"

Kazuya decided to ignore him. "—I thought it'd be better if you were engaged."

This caught Kurama's attention. He blinked once, before forming a deep frown with his brows. " _What?_ " he nearly screeched. Engaged? _Him_? One of the most sought after bachelors in Japan? Oh, the poor fan girls' hearts… Nah, not really. He didn't really feel sorry for them. Not even the slightest bit. But still… was this engagement thing for real? Was it just planned, but not done yet? Or was it…

He paled.

"With who?" he asked slowly, sounding an audible gulp as he anticipated the answer. Maya Kitajima? Well, the pretty model _was_ good looking, but she was hardly what he would go for. Juri Hamaya? Then again, the lead singer of the cute girl band, Sugar High – and _yes_ , that's what it's called. Kurama thought it was plain stupid – was quite naïve… Koto Nekohara? Nope. Never. He would never like the ever talkative weather report woman. Plus, she reports weather, for god's sake! So… _never_! Ruka Akamei? Sexy, but again, not his type. The woman was a sensual actress, but he didn't see her as anything more than another one night stand… so again, nope.

Again, really… _who would suit his high standards_?!

Kurama reached for his cup of coffee – which was cold by now, for your information – with trembling hands, hoping it was not anyone he could barely stand.

Hmm… coffee always calms his nerves…

Anyway, she'd better be beautiful, smart, talented, presentable, stylish, sexy, cute as hell, mild mannered, polite, poised, elegant, and graceful as fuck, or he'll seriously freaking flip a table—

"It's Botan. Botan Fukuyama. Your best friend from your childhood, remember? She's—"

Kurama spat his coffee straight at his step father's face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 2**

Amethyst orbs peered here and there around the room in a nervous manner. Botan fidgeted a little, fiddling her thumbs in an attempt to calm her nerves. It was spacious. Way too spacious for her. The Victorian-style house was ginormous in a way that made her feel like a little girl. Even her home back at Osaka wasn't _this_ big. Speaking of Osaka, anyway…

She cleared her throat, turning to look at the lady standing proudly in front of her. She was a maid, but Botan still found her more lady like than she was – which was a fact she was unsure how to take. The ebony-haired girl with brown eyes met her gaze, a curt smile coming to form on her lips.

"Is something the matter, Botan-sama?" she asked in a polite voice, and for a moment, the bluenette jumped a little at the honorific. She hadn't been called that since she fired all her maids and butlers back at home – and even in the duration of them working for her, she had never told them to call her 'Botan-sama', mostly due to the reason she felt awkward – so it took her a little off guard.

"N-no," she started with a sheepish grin, "Please don't call me that. Just Botan is fine, alright?" The maid parted her lips, going to say something but Botan was swift to cut her off, "Anyway, I was wondering; my work place is back at Osaka and… well, I wonder how things would work out?"

The maid blinked at her in surprise. "Oh? Did Yukio-sama not tell you? Kurama-sama's mansion _is_ at Osaka. So, you don't have to worry about that small matter," she explained, breaking into a wide grin, whilst Botan was staring at her, dumbfounded. She recognized 'Kurama' as Shuichi's stage name, but still…

What? Seriously?

For a moment, she racked her brain for any memories of her father elaborating such a thing to her – only to find nothing. Perhaps, he'd forgotten to tell her? Then again, that wasn't possible… He wasn't the kind to make a stupid mistake like that. Well, he was pretty busy at the time, so maybe he didn't have enough time to explain everything to her? And she fainted, anyway.

She blushed hotly at the reminder, and quickly brushed off the embarrassing recollections. Seriously, what a disgrace! If it was anyone other than her father, then she wouldn't mind much… but then, it _had been_ her father.

What a disgrace.

She inwardly hoped to herself he wouldn't tell her off for such "unseemly" behavior the next time she sees him. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it, after all.

If so, why did she have to go all the way to Tokyo? Was it to meet up with Shuichi's step father so they could discuss the wedding preparations or—

Okay, it still feels weird saying that. What would Shuichi feel if he sees her? Or, what would he _say_?! Argh! The waiting was killing her!

And then, she was back to a nervous, fidgeting wreck.

* * *

"Shuichi-sama, your tea…"

"Shuichi-sama, about tonight's dinner…"

"Shuichi-sama, the lady in the room waiting for you is so pretty! Is she…"

A vein popped dangerously at a red head. Kurama snapped around, pinning a death glare on the maids who paled at his heated stare. He promptly ignored the last statement of the "pretty lady", knowing it was Botan and abruptly pointed a finger accusingly at them.

"Get to work, you fools!" he roared angrily, the maids shrieking back in fear, "And stop calling me Shuichi, or I'll have you all fired this instant!" With that said, the poor maids nodded their heads urgently, before scurrying away from the furious redhead.

Kurama expelled a heavy sigh as he watched his servants scurry around, momentarily noting their resemblance closely to that of little mice, before shaking his head in slight disapproval. Really, they should be grateful he had a lot of tolerance for incompetent fools like them…

All of a sudden, his mind drifted to Botan. How had she been? He pondered for a moment, before realizing what he just thought and shaking his head once more to brush off the musings. Why was he even wasting his brain cells thinking of her, anyway? The sole reason he avoided her for all these years – ignoring her letters, even going as far as to change his cell phone number so she could no longer text or call him – was because he desired nothing to do with her. So, why was he forced to take this marriage gig, anyway?

… Well, then again, that one maid _did_ say she was pretty. _How_ pretty, exactly? From what Kurama could recall about her; she always had an almost incomparable beauty – in fact, even from a young age of nine, she had already managed to draw various attentions from people, males and females alike caught in utter awe upon witnessing her. Of course, as she got older, it was expected that her uncommon beauty grew with time, and from that once little, cute girl, she had grown to be one of the most attractive women Kurama had ever had the pleasure to lay his eyes on. But, that was seven years ago. Last time he saw her was when they were fifteen, and even then, she had an adorable, almost elegant perfection, and her body had been very well developed at every place—

— _Okay, stop, Kurama. Get your mind out of the gutter. I thought you said you don't like her, anymore?_ He grudgingly thought to himself, the smile that had unconsciously found its way to his lips now tugged down into a sour, deep scowl. He would never admit it, but he _had_ had a crush on her for the longest time – a crush he'd learn to forget over their long, seven years of separation.

And he'd rather not think about it right now.

As his feet stopped at a large, brown, wooden door, Kurama heaved out a sigh, his heart thumping loud in his chest. Wait, was he really nervous. _Calm down, Kurama. It's just Botan,_ he told himself in a futile attempt to slow the fast beating of the stupid thing in his chest he called his heart. Closing his eyes, and furrowing his brows in frustration, the redhead slowly reached a hand for the doorknob. He hesitated only for a moment, before reluctantly twisting it and pushing the door open, the loud creaking noise following his actions causing him to momentarily note to himself to fix the damned thing later on.

Oh, wait. He had servants. He could ask them. And they would have no choice to do as he ordered; no matter how busy they were – unless they wanted to be fired, that is.

Just as he finally fluttered his eyelids open, he met eyes with a pair of amethysts, ones he had not seen for a long time, but still managed to make him lose his breath everytime he met contact with them.

Literally.

* * *

When she saw him again, Botan almost fainted… _again_. To finally meet him face to face after all those years… Oh, she couldn't even begin to describe how happy she felt. Still, she knew she had to control herself, and not to let her joy show too much.

Shuichi stood there, looking proud and handsome in his casual outfit of a gray sweater, coupled with a pair of black sweatpants. The clothes themselves weren't what would make someone seem "proud and handsome", but with Shuichi, anything was possible. Whatever he wore, he would always succeed in pulling that prince charming image. And she found herself gaping at amazement without her knowing. He looked better than in television…

She developed a pink tinge in the face when Shuichi cleared his throat to gain her attention, finally realizing that she had been caught staring. Although, he seemed as if he was a far cry from displeased at the rude gazing of the girl, as he had been doing some… er, checking out himself.

He was right.

She _had_ gotten prettier.

Her sky blue hair was noticeably longer now, reaching just about beneath her hips as it cascaded down her shoulders and back gracefully. The warmth and innocence in her bright pools of amethysts had never dissipated – not even in those seven years – and he found himself unable to look at them anymore, in fear that he would drown even further in them than he already was if he did. Her legs were still as slender as ever, if not longer now – has she gotten taller, as well? – and her waist was still as lithe as it was the last time he'd seen her. Her skin was porcelain, and smooth, and she almost looked like a doll. But, she'd gotten bigger… and curvier… in some… _other_ areas…

Kurama shook his head to regain some sense and composure. Really, what the hell was he thinking? Why was he noticing those things about her, anyway?

Trying hard to shrug off the persistent thoughts in his mind, Kurama closed the door behind him and walked calmly towards her, pulling his usual poker faced expression as he sat down in front of her. He excused the ebony-haired maid standing at the corner with a smile on her countenance, the maid nodding her head in affirmation and leaving as she was ordered. Now that they were left alone though, Kurama found that he was nervous… yet infuriatingly, _again_.

"H-how have you been… Shuichi-kun?"

He expected him to be the one to make the first move, so it took him by surprise so much when she spoke first that it had slipped past his hearing senses that she had called him by his despised name 'Shuichi' instead of 'Kurama'. Albeit she stuttered and sounded timid, demure – almost nothing like the bubbly, nearly shameless to speak her mind Botan he knew her to be. Had her personality changed over the years? He wasn't sure how to take it. Was it a good sign or a bad sign? Then again, she did have this habit of acting like a shy little princess around people she was uncomfortable with – was she uncomfortable with _him_? Well, it _was_ true that they had not met for almost a decade, but…

Shaking his head, Kurama leaned back in his chair, hoping he hadn't lost his composure in her presence just yet during the time he spaced out. "Um… fine, I suppose. I have been quite successful, if you haven't noticed." He didn't know why he felt the need to tell her that, but he did, and almost kicked himself in the shin at the stupid mistake. He didn't want to sound arrogant… even if he was.

Wait, why did he care about her opinion of him, anyway?

Botan blinked her eyes for a moment, before surprisingly letting out of a laugh. "Yeah, I know!" she beamed, seemingly to have forgotten over her shyness. "I've seen you on TV a lot! You are quite the successful, attractive sought after bachelor, aren't you now? You have girls practically chasing after you!" she teased, startling him when she stood up from her chair and playfully elbowed him at his rear area.

Kurama nearly blushed. _Nearly._ "Y-you idiot! S-stop standing so close to me!" he stammered indignantly, slapping her hand away when she reached and patted him on the head. The girl frowned deeply at this, but then she grinned.

"Oh, don't be so abashed, Shuichi-kun!" And a giggle poured out her lips, whilst he shot daggers her way, having noticed her calling him Shuichi this time. "We're practically fiancés now! So, don't you start getting shy on me now, you silly boy!" For some reason beyond Kurama's understanding, Botan had apparently decided it was a good idea to pat him on the head like a small, cute pet as she said this.

Again, he slapped her hand away. "You… Aren't you the slightest bit embarrassed saying those things?" he snapped at her, glaring back at her blinking face. Really… and to think she was the same girl as that shy, soft spoken woman from before… Wasn't she uncomfortable?! And how could she acknowledge the fact that they were fiancés just like that?! He couldn't even think of the word without having to stifle a groan.

She blinked some more, before opening her mouth to utter something out. However, she didn't even manage to get a word out when the door suddenly drifted open. Their heads bobbed to see who it was – and in came Kurama's step father, Kazuya Hatanaka. His father had a worried look on his countenance, as if he was concerned Kurama had said the wrong thing and was trying to drive Botan away. That kind of thing wasn't impossible for the redhead, after all.

"Oh, hello, Kazuya-san!" Botan greeted with a wide, friendly grin, apparently forgetting the discussion between her and Kurama as the man let out a small chuckle.

"Hello, Botan-chan. I see you're still as energetic as ever," he remarked simply with an amused smile, taking a seat on the chair beside Kurama's – whose eyebrow was twitching, for some reason.

"Yep!" Botan flopped back down on her chair, Kurama's irritated expression going unnoticed by her. "How have you been? How's work?" she asked.

Kazuya ordered a maid, who had conveniently entered the room, for three cups of tea for drink, before turning to regard the young, perky girl with a broadened smile. "Well, work is work and nothing more. How about you? I hear you're working as a salesgirl. How is it going?" he inquired back.

Botan's lovely features brightened up – if such a thing was possible, with the huge, ear to ear grin she initially already had on her lips. But, before she could answer, a certain redhead beat her to it,

"Why are you working as a salesgirl when your father owns one of the biggest companies in the entire of Japan?" he asked incredulously, giving her a weird look, as if she'd just grown two heads. "It would have been easier if you just take over the family business. You've got nothing to lose, anyway. Isn't it in your blood or something?"

She blinked at him, brows creasing at his choice of words, and more at the odd stare. Nonetheless, she answered, "Well, I just didn't want to, I guess. Plus, I like being a salesgirl. I have a lot of good friends at my work place. And it's not like _I_ have to be the one to take over. There's still my brother, Souta, after all."

"Wait." One red eyebrow arched at her. "You _like_ being a salesgirl?"

"Yeah, I do." She nodded her head, whilst wondering to herself why he was staring at her as if she was a mad woman who had just gotten out of a loony bin. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"But, _why_ would you—"

"So, Botan-chan, you said you have a lot of good friends there. Is one of them the lovely Keiko Yukimura I met a month ago?" Kazuya cut the redhead short, a bead of sweat dripping from his eyebrow.

Phew. Good save.

Kurama's frown – which had been etched on his forehead for a while now – deepened at the disruption of his and Botan's discussion. Why did his step father have to interrupt?

Botan blinked once more, although this time, in surprise at Kazuya's words. "Huh? Do you know her?" She didn't answer his question; her statement was enough to indicate that she did know who Keiko was.

"Yes. I met her back when I was on a business trip at Osaka. I was kind of lost at the time, and it was none other than your good friend who lent me a hand. She is a woman with a big heart. I would not be surprised if she was friends with you, Botan-chan."

The blue haired girl formed an 'o' with her mouth in understanding. "So I see… Well, Keiko is a nice girl, I would agree. But, how did you know I know her?"

The older man in the room allowed another chuckle to pour out his lips. "Well, because she was kind enough to help me, I decided that I should walk her to work. She said she was working as a salesgirl, and when I went to her workplace, I saw that you were working there, too, Botan-chan. Although, I did not manage to greet you at the time, as I was busy – and so were you back then."

Botan was a little taken aback. "Huh? You saw me? Wow… I can't believe I didn't notice…"

"Well, you've always been quite a simpleton at times, anyway, so it's not that surprising," came Kurama's rude remark all of a sudden. The girl shot the boy a heated glare, whilst Kazuya was beginning to sweat. The tea had arrived, and he quickly took one cup into his hands and sipped its contents.

Kurama was fingering his hair in slight disinterest. The bored look on his countenance further igniting Botan's anger, and her glare seemed to intensify. Was she supposed to be insulted?

"What did you say?!" she yelled at him, and the redhead lifted his head to fix his gaze on her. He blinked.

"What? Have you gone deaf as well? I said, you've always been quite a simple—"

Botan abruptly stood up from her chair, the wooden furniture falling to the ground and making a loud, screeching sound under the brute force. "I _know_ what you said!"

This time, it was Kurama's turn to get annoyed. "Then, why did you ask me that, you idiot?"

"I-Idiot?" Botan stammered in utter shock, her expression mortified, and her eyes reflecting nothing but pure wrath. "W-why you—" She gritted her teeth. Was this really the Shuichi Minamino she was accustomed to? The boy whom she was very close friends with? The boy whom she used to like a lot? He was different. He was far different. Where had the polite, sweet, mild mannered, gentle spoken Shuichi she loved? Where was he under that—that arrogant, rude, and insensitive monstrosity glowering back at her?

"What?" The redhead narrowed his eyes. "I thought you were in the middle of saying something? Go on," he "prodded", although the tone in his voice indicated nothing but a warning.

"Forget it!" she snapped, blinking back the tears stinging at the back of her eyes. "I can't believe I used to have a crush on a jerk like… like you! Idiot! Stupid! Y-you—"

"Idiot and stupid basically mean the same thing," he told her bluntly, averting his attention back to fingering a strand of his red hair. He ignored her confession; it wasn't as if he had any feelings for her. _Not anymore, anyway,_ he mused to himself, _and she said she used to, so that means she doesn't either. So why is she acting like such a baby? I don't get her._

She gawked at him. Why the nerve of the man! Here she was, practically on the verge of crying her eyes out, and yet, he was acting as if he didn't care. _He probably really doesn't,_ she thought sadly, the lack of emotion on his features making her snap.

"Screw you!" she growled, surprising Kurama and Kazuya, who spat his tea out in shock. They stared wide eyed at her as she walked to her bags, carrying them with her utmost effort, before turning to glare at the former.

"I will _never_ marry you!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 3**

"What's his problem? He's such a jerk…" Botan grumbled under her breath, venting her wrath and frustration on her poor bags as she threw them harshly on the ground. She stood there fuming, hands curled into fists and teeth gritted, for some moments before she took a few, deep calming breaths. "Well… I probably shouldn't have shouted and stormed off like that, anyway…" she mumbled in a remorseful tone, remembering a while ago when she stomped her way out of the room and the huge mansion, ignoring Kazuya's constant pleas for her not to leave. She hadn't meant to be rude, but the anger just got to her.

"I should apologize to Kazuya-san later…" she continued, bending down to eventually retrieve her bags from the dirt. A sweatdrop. "I even took out my anger on my bags… I'm so stupid…" she said sheepishly with an awkward grin, a forced laugh coming out of her lips. She then stood up fully, and began to walk.

Despite her intention of apologizing to Kurama's kind step father – who was an exact opposite of that devil, Kurama, by the way – she didn't intend on doing so at the moment. She still needed some cooling off, after all, before she could see him and say she's sorry in an appropriate manner. And she didn't want to see Kurama anytime sooner, either, so she decided that maybe she should hang around outside the mansion for a while, and after she was ready, she would come inside and politely object to the engagement. It wasn't too late to cancel it.

"Ah!" she exclaimed in surprise when she strolled into a familiar place. It was a garden. And a pretty one at that. Red roses, white lilies, and yellow sunflowers stared back at her, a smile curling up her lips at the beautiful sight of the blooming flowers. In the middle of the garden, there was a fountain, and she took that moment to saunter her way towards it and take a seat, leaning down and dipping her fingers in the water. It was cold, but not too cold, and it seemed to calm her nerves a little.

"It's been a while since I've stepped foot here…" she spoke to herself, pulling her hand out and glancing around the well taken care of garden. In spite those seven long years, she recognized this place. This was where she and Kurama used to spend their time playing in their childhood, and was even their secret hiding spot when they had some troubles that they needed to confide in one another during their teen years. It was like home, a home with holding most of her precious, memorable memories. A sad smile crossed her lips; she missed those days. Those days when she used to run with Kurama in the mud, splash water in the rain and throw flour all over each other. Those days when she spent countless nights, crying her eyes out because some jerk broke her heart and Kurama was the one who comforted her the entire time, hugging her and patting her back soothingly. Those days were gone now, disappeared in a blink of an eye… but maybe she could somehow change things back to the way they used to be? Was that even possible?

She reached out and touched one, pink peony blooming close to where she was, her smile turning to a wistful one as she recalled Kurama telling her she was beautiful – like the flower was. He was nice back then, sweet even, and she still hoped that somewhere underneath that changed person that he was now, there still was the old him.

 _Well, although that's probably just wishful thinking,_ she momentarily mused, before shaking her head. When had she gotten negative? _No, no. I can't think like that. Maybe he's still the same._

 _Maybe…_

* * *

Kazuya stared disapprovingly at his son, who was more preoccupied with drinking his tea to notice – or, pretended not to notice. The redhead took a sip, and then another, and another, before realizing that his tea had run out. Momentarily, he figured he should ask the maid to make another one, only to diminish that plan from his head when he realized that the maid was gone. Probably off running an errand or something. Oh, well.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" his step father's voice resonated in his ears, bringing him out of his reverie. He regarded the older man with a stoic expression, before looking down to the still full cup of tea situated in front of his. For a moment, he looked thoughtful, seeming to consider something.

"Well, that woman's gone anyway. Might as well just finish it for her than let it go to waste," he blurted out, the exasperated gaping of his step father not going unnoticed by him but not acknowledged either.

Kazuya decided he had enough of Kurama's nonchalant demeanor. "Shuichi-kun!"

"I thought I told you to call me Kurama?" The said boy leaned in and reached for the cup.

"Have you no shame? Hurting a girl's feelings like that and acting as if you don't care? You are a human, are you not?" Kazuya reprimanded, promptly ignoring his demand of calling him by his preferred name. Kurama heaved a heavy sigh.

"That's because I really don't care," he said simply, unaware of the vein popping at Kazuya's head.

"Shuichi-kun! She came all the way here to see you! At least, show her some respect," the man told him, his brows knitted together in frustration.

Kurama stopped halfway in his movements of drinking Botan's tea to peer at his step father. For a moment, he wondered what was wrong with him, only to inwardly sigh in defeat at the unwavering gaze Kazuya was giving him. It was obvious the man wouldn't leave him alone unless he did something about the situation.

"And? What exactly do you want me to do? Go chase after her and ask for her forgiveness?" Kurama said, although his question sounded more of a statement than an inquiry.

"Exactly!" came Kazuya's immediate response.

"Do I have to kneel on my knees, with my head on the ground as well?"

"Shuichi-kun!"

"What? I might as well prepare some precautions in case the girl's stubborn enough to not forgive me," Kurama stated in a blunt tone, as if he was merely stating a fact. Placing the cup of tea to his lips, the redhead finally downed its contents.

Kazuya didn't respond, half glaring and half frowning at Kurama's taunting choice of words. Really, no wonder Botan snapped at him… Even he himself found his patience reaching its peak at his step son's lack of care for other people's feelings, and little to no effort of making up for his mistakes. Taking a moment to inhale a deep, calming breath, Kazuya leaned in his chair, his composure regained, and proceeded to cross his legs, clasping his hands together and placing them on his knee. He tilted his head at Kurama, the redhead noticing his stare, and lifting his gaze to meet his.

"What?" the boy asked, one eyebrow arched at the light smirk on the other man's lips.

"I wonder, Shuichi-kun… do you care about your acting career?" Kazuya suddenly questioned without answering the redhead, who furrowed his brows in response.

Catching that there was something up, Kurama narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his step father. Regardless, he replied, "Yes, I do, but what does that have anything to do with _this_?"

"Well, I was thinking…" A chuckle abruptly escaped Kazuya's lips, the creepy sound sending chills down Kurama's spine, but he kept his calm. He waited for Kazuya to go on, and he did, "… how would you feel if I were to force you to quit being an actor?"

The cup of tea cracked under Kurama's grip that had considerably tightened. "Are you really threatening me right now, father?" he asked with a smile attached on his lips, but the tone in his voice was nothing but dead serious.

Kazuya ignored the signs of danger, another chuckle leaving his throat, to which the quirk of Kurama's mouth faltered slightly. "I suppose I am. But, you leave me no choice, Shuichi-kun."

"Does that girl really matter that much to you?" Kurama inquired in a slight irritated tone, his fingers releasing their hold around the cup; due to fear he might break it if he still had it in his hands. He didn't think his step father would go as far as threatening to end his career; although acting was not his own job, Kurama was well aware of the fact that Kazuya was undoubtedly capable of doing so if he wanted to. With his vast amount of money, relationships, and a few discussions with his strict grandmother whom Kurama could never go against, such a thing was not possible.

"Of course she does. I see her as practically a daughter I never had. But, all that aside, I'm doing this mostly for the reason I already promised her father that she would be wed to you," Kazuya responded.

Kurama expelled a loud, exasperated sigh. "Wasn't that years ago? It's ancient history, so just forget about it," he said, letting out a scoffing sound.

"No, it isn't. I mean, we were going to marry you two off with one another, anyway, no matter how long you guys hadn't seen each other."

Silence engulfed the two men for some time; Kurama thinking of something, and Kazuya waiting for a response. The redhead stared at the table, as if there was something interesting there, although his mind was considering a few things. He then shifted his emerald orbs to his step father.

"And? You won't do anything as long as I go and apologize to her?" he asked, his voice calm, but he knew that there was more. Kazuya wouldn't let him off the hook that easily, after all.

"Of course not. I mean, if you really do not wish to quit your acting career, then you must win her over," came the older man's answer, a lopsided grin curving at the corners of his lips.

One red eyebrow raised. "Win her over?"

Kazuya nodded his head. "Yes. In other words, you have to make her fall in love with you."

Two red eyebrows creased in confusion. "How am I supposed to do that? She basically hates me now."

Kazuya was unresponsive for a moment, but then, he shrugged his shoulders, the grin on his face replaced by a playful smirk, as he said, "Well, that's your problem, so you deal with it."

A glare shot at his direction. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

A loud laugh suddenly erupted from Kazuya's throat, which Kurama momentarily noted to himself sounded awfully obnoxious. The redhead's heated stare seemed to intensify. He had a deep dislike for people who made fun of him, and worse if it was someone he considered close to him.

"Oh, well. It isn't like you have much of a choice," the man told him as he was done laughing. Kurama was glowering at the table, seeming as if the exact image of a sulking little boy as Kazuya stared at him in amusement. "Calm down. Aren't you _the_ Kurama? You have millions of fans, so how hard would it be to make a girl like you? And it isn't like you don't know her. You're best friends," he went on.

" _Were_ ," Kurama corrected him, his tone grudging as he went to grab his cup of tea, needing to calm himself, only to blink when another hand managed to take a hold of it before he could. He made a face as he watched his step father swallow the contents. "And you are awfully rude for a father."

Kazuya simply smiled at him. "Putting that aside, what do you think? Do we have a deal?" Although, he already figured that his step son would say yes. Being an actor was something he loved and took great pride in, after all.

A pause.

A long pause which seemed to drag on forever.

The redhead nodded his head, albeit reluctantly. "Deal," he relented.

If it was to protect his acting career, then he was willing to do anything.

* * *

"Where the hell is that bloody woman?" Kurama's exasperated voice hung in the air. He had been walking around and yet, still there was no sign of her. For a moment, he wondered if she had gone back to Osaka, but then, the revelation hit him that she wouldn't just up and leave without telling his step father first. She wasn't the kind who would be so disrespectful. So, she must still be here… but where? He halted in his tracks, taking a brief second to think of where she could be. She wasn't in the mansion… and she wasn't in the forest either… There were other places, of course, but the redhead was certain she couldn't have gone there... So, that left only one place…

The garden.

True enough, when he reached his destination, he caught sight of her sitting at the fountain. She seemed a little distracted with something, and he couldn't help but notice that she had taken off her blue hoodie, revealing the white short-sleeved shirt she wore underneath. Even from afar, he could see her index finger curling around a strand of black sticking out her skirt, tentatively tugging it out. He stared at her, and found himself slightly entranced by the wistful look in her beautiful pools of amethysts. A second after however, he snapped out of the trance, calling out to the girl.

Botan was playing with the hem of her skirt when a voice disrupted the silence in the garden,

"Hey."

She looked up to see Kurama gazing down at her, with his arms crossed over his chest, and the usual stoic expression on his countenance. Her eyes widened in surprise at his sudden appearance; had he been looking for her? Surely, he hadn't been, now had he? His demeanor towards her had been enough to show her how much he truly didn't care for her. He must be here for something. Perhaps he was taking a fresh air, and accidentally crossed paths with her—

"You…" his smooth voice reached her ears, snapping her out of her musings. She bit her lip at the slightly offended look on his features. "You've got some nerve ignoring me after all that ruckus you made in my mansion," he said, half glaring at her, and proceeded to sit beside her. She scooted a little farther away from him.

Her expression matched his, as she spoke, with a tone laced with annoyance, " _Me_? _You're_ the one who caused the ruckus. And besides, this isn't _your_ mansion. It belongs to your parents."

One red eyebrow twitched, but nothing more. "What are you doing here, anyway?" he inquired, trying to sound as composed as possible, despite the tempting urge to hit her across the head for insulting him. But, he dared not to. If he was going to make this work, getting into another fight with her would do no good to either of them. Worse still, to him.

"I needed some place to cool off," she answered, her words almost a whisper as it echoed with the bone chilling wind. He shivered at the cold air, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it. "Do you remember… how we used to play around here when we were kids?" she abruptly questioned. She wasn't entirely sure why she wanted to know the answer, but she did. Although, it almost came to no surprise when he bluntly responded,

"No." Despite that, inwardly he did recall the memories. But, that was mostly due to the fact he tried his hardest to forget them.

Botan bit the inside of her cheeks, her gaze downcasted to her hands as she fiddled with her thumbs. That kind of hurt. A bit. _Asshole…_ she thought grudgingly in her mind, her mouth tugged down to form a deep scowl. He didn't have to sound so emotionally detached. He was making it sound as if he really didn't care.

Maybe he didn't.

What a prick.

"But, I do remember you chasing me around in the mansion when we played tag," he quickly added when he saw the angry expression on her face. The girl blinked, the hurt and pain in her eyes now replaced by what seemed like shock. She lifted her gaze to meet his, but he avoided hers by looking away. She stretched her neck to see his face, but he was good at hiding it, so she didn't manage to catch the dark blush coloring his cheeks.

A smile slowly crossed her lips. "Really? I didn't think you still…" she trailed off, knowing he knew what she meant.

"Well, the only reason I remember that is because you used to tackle me to the ground and bully me whenever you caught me," Kurama teased, a smirk playing on his lips as the crimson shade tinting his cheeks lightened a bit.

This time, it was Botan's turn to blush. Whether it was due to embarrassment or anger, even she was unsure.

"Well, sorry," she forced out, the tone in her voice clearly indicating the opposite. Her blush deepened as she received a laugh in return. She didn't peer at him, but she was sure he was eyeing her.

He studied her, uncertain if he should be amused or mortified to see her looking so adorable. Odd. She had always been the only one who managed to bring out the playful side of him. He thought after their seven years of separation, she would no longer hold so much effect on him. And yet, she still did.

 _I wonder why?_ He pondered; although, he tried not to think of the response nagging at the back of his mind.

"Hey, Botan?" he called her name after a few moments of silence. The girl didn't justify him with a reply, but he caught her sparing him a brief glance before averting her gaze. Well, that was a good enough acknowledgement to him. "You… Why did you agree to come here? Did you… really want to marry me?" he asked, feigning curiosity, only to realize a moment later, he was actually anticipating the answer.

She shook her head. "No, I—I mean, I don't know. It's just… I know my father always wanted this… Even since we were kids… but, well, I didn't really want everything in my life to be decided by someone else instead of me. Even so, I knew I had never done anything for him—so, I decided to do this one thing. And it's not like I can go against him, anyway, now can I?" came her reply, her face almost unreadable except the touch of confusion in her orbs. Maybe she was baffled of what to do.

"Then, you're not going to back out of the wedding?" he inquired before he could stop himself, his words coming off hopeful without him knowing. Maybe he didn't have to go with the plan. Maybe he didn't have to make her love him. She wouldn't leave because of her father—

"Are you kidding me? I will if you act like a jerk to me, stupid," she scoffed.

—Okay, maybe he did have to go through with it after all.

A loud, exasperated sigh. "Why? You said you didn't want to go against him. Besides, what's the worse that would happen? I mean, I'm handsome, smart, and an actor! _Who_ wouldn't want to marry me?"

"Anyone who doesn't like a conceited asshole like you," she spat, her features fierce.

He glared daggers at her direction. A vein visibly popped at his forehead, and he looked away, the heated stare of his eyes threatening to burn a hole through a green bush. "Yeah, yeah. I'm a conceited asshole! No one wants to be engaged with me," he sarcastically blurted out, his brows knitted together in frustration.

She rolled her eyes. "Exactly," she bluntly responded, ignoring the glare which was now directed at her… again.

"Didn't you say you have a crush on me? Now, if I'm a 'conceited asshole', now why would you harbor feelings for me? Are you an idiot?"

"I _had_ a crush on you," she corrected him, her eyes shooting heated daggers at him. Neither was willing to back down from the glaring contest. "And next time you call me an idiot will be the moment my fist meets your stupid face."

" _Stupid_? My face isn't stupid, you freaking—"

"Anyway, appearances mean nothing. One day, you'll grow old and get wrinkles, and become ugly. And even if you _do_ remain attractive as you are, I wouldn't fall for you, anyway. I mean, who would like a narcissistic jerk like you who probably has no clue of how to be a romantic or sweet or a gentleman—"

"What did you say?"

"—I mean, if I were any woman on the face of earth, you'd be the last person I'd want to have a family with. And, you probably can't take care of kids if we have—"

"Men don't have to be romantic to make their wives never leave them," he cut her off – and was that a growl she heard? "Just being good at sex is enough to leave a woman aching for more. Satisfaction is the key to keeping a marriage alive."

She gawked at him, obviously appalled by his choice of words. "Why you disgusting, perverted brute-! Do you really think that… _that_ —"

She was horrified to see a sly grin appearing on his features. " _That_? You can't even say it," he snorted, rolling his eyes at the girl.

Botan's face was now beet red – both in anger and embarrassment. " _So_? I probably have more experience than you do!"

For a moment, he looked as if he was intrigued. "What does that mean? Don't tell me… you've done it before?"

Her cheeks turned ten shades – no, make that twenty – darker. "W-what? Of course not! But, at least, I've had a boyfriend once! I've kissed a guy before! You, on the other hand, oh great Minamino, have never been in a relationship to even be able to give someone a kiss, and therefore, you lack any experience—"

" _How_ the hell would you know if I've ever had a girlfriend? Wait, have you been checking me up on the internet? I knew it, you still like—" He cut himself short when he realized she was standing up, and was on the verge of walking away. But, he would have none of that.

He briskly got to his feet, his arm reaching out, and in one swift motion, grabbed hers, and pulled her towards him. A loud, startled cry reverberated in his ears, making him smirk. Her wide eyes stared back into his normal, composed ones in shock, her body turning into a rigid line. A moment later though, she regained her senses and almost instantly, tried to tug her arm out of his grasp in an attempt to break free. But, her efforts were fruitless, as his hold around her was tight, almost vice like. She reached her free hand to push him away, but he quickly caught that one as well, leaving her no chance to escape. She developed a pink tinge in the face when he tugged her closer, her soft, petite body crushing into the hard contours of his form. She stayed dead still, her head turned downwards to avoid meeting his gaze. Her blush deepened as a low chuckle erupted from his chest, the sound like jingle bells at it reached her ears.

Wait, did she seriously just think that?

"You don't have to have a girlfriend to kiss a girl. Being an actor," he started, pausing a moment to lean in and blow a breath over her ear, the small jerk he elicited from her causing the light smirk touching his mouth to widen, "I'd say I have more experience than you," he finished, pulling away to look at her. Releasing her left wrist, Kurama cupped her chin, tilting her head up and forcing her to meet his eyes. His pools of emeralds seemed to glint in something – something she couldn't quite put her finger on – leaving her mesmerized by his gaze, even to the point she didn't notice he had just let go of one of her hands. She unconsciously darted her tongue out to lick her lips; a habit she'd always do whenever she was nervous, as she realized that he was closing the distance between their lips. For a moment, the thought of running away crossed her mind, but she couldn't, a part of her scared of what the redhead might do, while another part of her wanting to stay in his arms.

"Want to try me?" His voice, low and barely a whisper, sent a delightful shiver down her spine. She didn't bother to resist as he leaned down, and in one swift motion, slammed his hot mouth on hers. His lips moved against hers in a slow, passionate lip lock, but she made no move to respond to the kiss, staying as still as a statue as he continued his ministrations. A few seconds later, he seemed to have gotten tired of her idle lips, and went and darted his tongue out to give her pink mouth a few experimental licks, the flicking of the wet appendage against her plump lips almost as if asking for permission. When she refused to grant it, he bit lightly on her lower lip, a startled gasp leaving her, her mouth now parted and he took that chance to push his tongue between her lips. A soft moan escaped her, the sound muffled in the heated kiss, as she finally began to respond, moving her mouth rhythmically against his. She felt him wrap his arms around her, the hold nearly protective, and pulled her impossibly closer to him. He had released her other wrist, she realized, all of a sudden. She could push him off. She could run.

But, she didn't want to.

Their tongues stroked each other in a heated dance, making her body quiver. A warm hand stealthily trailed down from her waist to her hips, giving the supple mound a light squeeze. A groan leaving his mouth, as her lithe form jumped at the feel, her breasts dragging up against his clothed chest. For a moment, he wasn't sure if he wanted to stop. He did this only to prove to her that he wasn't a bad kisser, but now that he finally had her, he found no desire to pull away. The shaking of her body was making him lose his control bit by bit, causing him to kiss her more passionately – if such a thing was impossible. Good lord, who knew the woman was so…

"Shu… ichi…" she whispered his name in between the kiss, and at that moment, reality came crashing back to him. As if he just snapped out of a trance, his eyes broadened in shock and he swiftly broke off the kiss, harshly pushing her away – and into the fountain.

Botan whimpered as she felled into the cold water, her clothes now soaked and clinging to her form. She took a moment to comprehend what just happened – it happened so fast – before slowly getting to her feet. The shock dying down, the bluenette snapped her head up, pining a death glare at the redhead staring back at her… for some reason, with a weird look on his face.

"What the hell did you do that for?" she roared in fury, her hands curling into fists and her face bright red in anger. The boy hadn't realized she was speaking to him, until the sound of her getting out of the fountain reached his ears, the water splashing against his feet as he watched her.

He blinked. "What?"

Her heated stare seemed to intensify. "Oh, my apologies, did I speak too low that you didn't hear me, my lord?" she asked, her tone sardonic, her features wearing an equally sarcastic expression. But, before he could react, her arms shot up and a moment later, a loud, almost ear-rupturing noise of skin slapping skin sounded in the garden.

Kurama gaped at the ground, his head turned to the side, his eyes wide, as he slowly reached a hand to touch the red tint on his cheek – and it wasn't a blush.

"Did you just…" he trailed off, finding it difficult to believe anyone would do such a thing to him… and a girl, no less!

"Slap you?" the girl finished for him, letting a small huff escape her lips. "Yes, I did."

This time, it was his turn to get angry. "Why the hell—"

"You started it!"

"So? Does that give you any right to slap my precious—"

"Oh, shut it, Shuichi! Why don't you give a damn about someone other than yourself for once in your miserable life?"

"Why I ought to…" Kurama cut himself off, as he realized something. His gaze trailed lower, fixating on a part of her body, and he blinked, before quirking an eyebrow.

Botan blinked as well, the wrath disappearing, bewilderment taking its place as she realized he had gone quiet – and was staring at her… kind of weird. She continued to blink a few more times, before slowly, followed his gaze—

—and the terrifying revelation of her red bra showing through the white fabric of her shirt hit her like a ton of bricks. Apparently, getting pushed into the water had resulted to her… clothes being a little too transparent. A dark blush, deeper than the ones before, crept up her cheeks, her eyes widening into pure horror. She heard a snicker, and instantly, snapped her head up to glare at the redhead. He sported a light but self-satisfied smirk on his countenance. Why the _jerk_!

Another slap resounded in the air.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 4**

 _Riing! Riing! Riing!_

Kurama awoke to the loud, annoying sound of the alarm clock going off. Surprisingly enough, it didn't wake up the girl sleeping beside him (in some way or the other, they managed to sleep in the same bed) despite the high pitched noise. He blindly reached for the device, slamming his hand on it and turning the damned thing off. Eyelids fluttering open, Kurama flinched and let out a savage curse at the sunlight blinding his eyes. Apparently, he forgot to close the curtains last night. He turned away, only to blink as he found that he was nose to nose with Botan. He scrunched his nose in disgust, before pulling as far away as he could from the girl, and propping himself up with his elbows. He sat up on the bed, stretching his arms.

He let his gaze travel, studying the room, and noting to himself that it wasn't that bad, although nearly not as big as his back at Tokyo. They had gone to Osaka the night before – after getting Botan some dry, fitting spare clothes – and had went straight towards the mansion they were supposed to stay. It was one of his favorites, due to the unique design of the house, but he had never stayed here before. It was considered unneeded as he was living in Tokyo. Well, at least he had the opportunity now. He just wished he didn't have to share it with the infuriating woman still in a deep slumber next to him.

It was hard enough that they bickered almost all night last night.

A heavy sigh hung in the air, as the red-haired lad scratched the back of his head. Oh, well. Not like he had a choice. Might as well just deal with the situation now that he was stuck in it.

All of a sudden, a thought occurred to him. Ah, right. He had a shooting of a film today – and it was conveniently in Osaka. He wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence, or if his father had somehow arranged the whole wedding gig at the right time. Either way, he was more than relieved he didn't have to take a flight and go here and there to shoot some scenes. He loved acting, but it was sure nice to have it easy sometimes – although, it wasn't that easy. Anyway, he should really get going. He didn't want to hear an earful from Kuronue, much more from his manager, Hiei, so he ought not to be late. He glanced at the clock, noting that he had half an hour to get ready.

Abruptly, a hand met contact with his arm. He blinked at the feel, before turning to peer down at the owner, expecting to see her awake… but, she wasn't. He furrowed his brows, and a moment later, realized that she had shifted in her sleep and accidentally touched him. He slapped her hand away, but not as harshly as he wanted to, due to fear that he might wake her up. But then, he wondered if she had work today, and if he _should_ wake her up, only to shrug it off a second later. Well, it had nothing to do with him. And he already hadn't much time as it was, so he wasn't in the mood on wasting it for the girl.

If she gets in trouble with her manager, well… not his problem.

He was on the verge of throwing his legs over the edge of the bed, only to halt half way in his movements, as his eyes caught sight of… something. The sheets had slipped down to Botan's knees, and her shirt had slid up – probably in her sleep – to reveal a nice view of her smooth belly. And although he successfully managed not to pay too much attention to her soft, porcelain thighs peeking out of the sheets, it was considerably hard to ignore the exposed part of her upper body. His gaze drank in the sight of her, raking over every inch of her skin—

 _What the hell?!_ He yelled in his thoughts as he snapped out of his transfixed state. Shaking his head, Kurama struggled to be rid of the dirty images his mind had somewhat managed to conjure up, a bright crimson shade coming to creep up his cheeks. _I should… cover her up…_ he promptly decided. After all, he couldn't just leave her like that. Not for _her_ sake – god, _hell no, never_ – but for his sanity. Really. Why did she have to have a sexy form in the first place, anyway?

Reaching one shaky hand to the hem of her shirt, the redhead began to slowly tug it down… but, he didn't expect for the sleeping girl to wake up. So when Botan saw him touching the piece of clothing, she immediately got the wrong impression.

"GAHHH! What are you doing, you stupid, hormonal pervert?!" she yelled bloody murder, instinctively kicking his hand off of her. She immediately sat up, grabbing the sheets before proceeding to cover herself with it in some attempt to keep her modesty intact. The boy, too surprised by her sudden awakening, could only stare at her in shock. But, a moment later, he seemed to get over it, his brows creasing and his eyes reflecting what Botan could only perceive as irritation.

"What the hell did I do now? You've got a lot of guts to kick me when I was being nice to you," he spoke, his voice deadly calm.

"What on earth do you mean, being nice? Taking advantage of me in my sleep is not what people call a kind gesture, you idiot!" she roared, promptly ignoring the deadpanned stare he gave her.

"Did you really think I'd do that, you fool?!" he shouted back.

Botan yelped as Kurama's right leg shot up, kicking her off the bed.

* * *

"Hey, Kurama," Kuronue's playful voice and sly grin was what greeted him as he got to the set of the shooting. The redhead didn't bother to acknowledge his friend, mumbling something under his breath about crazy blue haired girls and proceeded to walk off. Kuronue, seeing that his friend was strolling away, immediately followed after him, his eyes staring at a certain part on Kurama's face.

The young actor, having noticed his weird gaping, shot a heated glare at the black haired man. Kuronue seemed to realize Kurama was glaring at him, as he instantly looked up to meet his gaze. The grin on his face widened slightly, despite the not so friendly glowering of his companion, and he pointed an index finger at the latter's cheek.

"What happened? Your cheek's all swollen. Did a fan girl—"

"Never mention it again," Kurama coldly cut him off, but his response merely made Kuronue, who was used to his rude demeanor by now, broke into an obnoxious howl of laughter. He didn't seem to be aware of the twitching of Kurama's left eyebrow.

"Hey, chill, man. All I was about to say was that if a fan girl slapped you because you broke her heart, then don't be beating yourself up over it. I mean, that just means you're practically a hottie, Kurama," Kuronue told him, despite doubting the fact the redhead would even care about a poor fan girl's broken heart.

True enough, he earned a scoff. "As if I'd give a damn."

The black haired lad just continued to grin, having expected that kind of response. Although, in Kurama's mind, he couldn't help but think that his friend actually got one thing right. A smirk which literally meant _good job, you were close, but not quite, my dear pal_ crossed his lips.

"Where's Hiei, by the way?" Kurama inquired, changing the subject. He was certain that if they dwelled too much on the topic, Kuronue would end up finding out about Botan. And that was the last thing he wanted to happen, despite the fact the news would reach his friend sooner or later. He didn't want to be the one explaining all the details, after all. Now that would be too troublesome.

Kuronue seemed to notice Kurama's subtle attempt at diverting the subject, but merely smiled, and said nothing in response. Really. His best friend should stop thinking he could lie to him. In spite the redhead's poker face, and incredible capability of keeping everything to himself, Kuronue could always read through him – being one of the closest to him besides Hiei – so there was literally almost nothing that the actor could hide from him. Even still, he chose the wiser option to keep quiet. God knows Shuichi Minamino aka Kurama, the best and most sought after young actor of the year hated people butting in his personal affairs. And Kuronue was the last person who wanted to suffer Kurama's wrath.

"There he is," he answered as he spotted a certain short man with gravity defying hair walking his way towards them.

"Wow," Hiei remarked with a taunting smirk etched to his lips as he halted his tracks, "Now this is a surprise. The great Minamino arriving on time for a shooting? Wow, the gods must have answered our prayers. Right, Kuronue?" He turned to Kuronue, who was already on the verge of stifling a chuckle.

Kurama's eyebrow twitched again.

"Yeah, yeah. It caught me off guard as well when I saw him this morning. I almost couldn't believe it was him, and nearly called security to dispose of him," came the taller black haired man's response.

A death glare was shot his way. "Dispose of me, you said?"

"Yeah, I thought you were an impostor."

The glare seemed to intensify.

"Anyway, Kurama, I heard an interesting news last night," Hiei's voice chimed in, cutting short the heated argument that was about to occur between the other two men. The redhead in question turned to fixate his gaze on him, one eyebrow arched at his direction.

"I heard you got engaged. Congratulations, pal."

This time, Kurama's glare was fixed on Hiei.

* * *

Botan was on the verge of bending down and tying her loose shoelace – because she didn't want someone to step on it – when a voice, feminine yet teasing, coupled with the sound of girlish giggles that obviously belonged to more than one person, reverberated in the store and reaching her ears.

"Hey, Bo-tan-chan!" Keiko called her, pausing at each syllable of her name.

"What is it?" the girl in question responded absent-mindedly.

Botan, too busy with making sure that she was tying her shoelace tight enough not to let it get loose again, didn't notice the wide grin on the brunette's face, reaching from ear to ear. At each side of her, stood Yukina and Shizuru, the latter hiding a smile behind her hand, whilst the former biting her lip to stifle a giggle.

"So," Keiko started, "You free today, B?"

Botan gave her shoelace one last tug before getting back to her feet. She dusted off some dirt that had managed to get on her skirt. "Hm, I don't know. I guess I am. It's not like I have any plans. What do you wanna do?"

One brown eyebrow arched at her. The grin on Keiko's lips broadening ever so slightly. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Yeah, sure. I mean, not like I have anything else to do at home."

"Well, okay then. Hm, we're going to a club… and maybe flirt with some guys while we're on it. Is that okay with you?"

"What do you think Yusuke's gonna say if he hears about you hitting on some random stranger—" Botan cut herself off when she realized something odd in Keiko's tone. It almost sounded as if she was up to something. And the question of whether or not it was alright for her… Well, Keiko never asks her that because she always assumes Botan's always up for anything – and that's almost always true.

She finally shifted her gaze to her friend, surprised to see Yukina and Shizuru standing there as well. And what's up with those weird grins on their faces?

Botan suddenly had a bad feeling.

Amethyst orbs narrowed suspiciously at the three. "What are you guys up to?" she asked slowly, taking a moment to think of the pranks or some sort they might be pulling on her. I mean, they always prank her because she's apparently too gullible to notice anything and—

"Nothing," Shizuru responded, her grin suspiciously widening. A long tense and awkward silence of staring at each other followed, until a moment later, the brown haired woman found herself unable to keep herself together anymore. "Alright, fine. I give," she relented, raising her arms up in defeat, Botan's intense stare wavering and replaced with a bright, satisfied smile. "Sheesh… why is it that you always get your way? I mean, it's bad enough that you didn't tell your bestest friends about your whole engagement with _the_ Shuichi Minamino, aka Kurama, the hottest guy ever!" Shizuru's sentence, frustrated and disappointed at first, bordered on mimicking gushing of Kurama's fan girls at the last five words that left her lips.

Botan's smile felled. And her face visibly paled.

* * *

"Who's the girl? Some hot model? Oh, don't tell me. It's that Maya chick, right? There are always rumors about you two dating going around, so I think it's her. Then again, I guess it's not her. She's not your type, anyway. Oh, I know! It's that hot little kitten from the bar, huh? I wouldn't be surprised if you courted her and asked for her hand in marriage… You two kind of had good chemistry that night. Then again, you were drunk and she kinda took advantage of you. Oh, I know, I know! It's…"

Kurama had both palms placed flat against his face, his constant groans leaving here and then muffled in his hands. Hiei stood next to him, sipping on his coffee with a light, annoying smirk touching his lips. Kurama wanted to wipe it off so bad. And Kuronue was going on and on about the women he suspected was Kurama's fiancé for hours now… It was hard enough to focus on memorizing his lines and acting with his "real feelings" with Hiei staring at him like a smug bastard, so Kuronue's ramblings were _so_ not needed.

Poor boy was finding it hard to focus on the shoot. I mean, it's bad enough he has to come home to that—that horrible monstrosity of a freaking bit—Okay, let's stop there before he gets out of hand. Anyway, I mean, it's bad enough he has to come home to a girl who apparently loathes his guts, he didn't need his assholes of best friends making his life more miserable. Damn Kazuya for forcing him to go along with all this bullshit.

He lifted his head from his hands.

"Kuronue," he called, the name passing his lips in a low, almost menacing growl, "I'll do anything, so will you please just keep your damn mouth shut?" he said in an irked tone in his voice, one hand massaging his temples, looking as if he was having a headache. Maybe he was. He could feel one coming right about now.

The black haired lad in question blinked at him. He didn't seem offended at all by Kurama's obviously rude choice of words. Instead, he seemed thoughtful. As if he was considering something. Kurama, noticing the look, gave him a weird stare.

"What?" he asked.

"I was just wondering…" Kuronue started slowly, a sly smirk quirking at the edge of his lips. "… Is she pretty?"

Kurama, having caught on his friend's perverted intentions, quickly stated, "If you're thinking of boning her, then forget it." His voice firm, leaving no room for arguments, and his eyes now fixated on the script in his hands.

He figured Kuronue would leave it at that, but he was apparently dead wrong. Upon seeing the irritating wriggling of Kuronue's eyebrows, and the teasing grin tugging at his mouth, Kurama could only heave a sigh as the latter leaned in closer to him.

"Oh-ho? Don't tell me you're jealous?" Kuronue playfully teased, reaching a finger to poke at Kurama's cheek. "Aww, that's so cute."

Poke. Poke.

Kuronue was swift to pull his hand away when Kurama attempted to bite his finger off its socket.

"Hell no," the redhead hissed, "Why the heck would I be jealous over that goddamn woman, anyway?" he stated more than inquired, averting his attention back to the script. Might as well memorize his lines than acknowledge anymore of this idiocy. Lest he wanted to go insane and be registered into a mental institution, that was the best thing he could do.

"It's Botan," Hiei's voice spoke from behind him.

Kuronue diverted his eyes to the shorter male, his head slightly tilted. "Who's that?"

"Kurama's 'bestest friend'. You know, the one from his childhood."

"Oh, that quirky girl that he always calls gorilla! The one who used to beat up boys for bullying Kurama when he was a kid, right—"

In just a few seconds, Kuronue's body was found lying on the ground completely unconscious with a huge slump on his head.

Hiei stood at the side of Kuronue's – hopefully not dead – form with a bruised eye.

"Good luck," he told the redhead who went and practiced his lines somewhere else.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 5**

"Shh! We can't let the customers know!" Botan whispered urgently to Shizuru, who seemed far less distressed than the former was. A finger was placed on the blue haired girl's lips in a signal that meant complete silence and true secrecy. "If anyone finds out, then I'll be the one getting beat up!" she went on in the same tone, sparing a fleeting but wary glance at the female customers – no, if she had to be careful, she'd calculate that at least 1/3 portion of the males in the store had disturbing crushes on a certain young, hot-blooded red-haired actor…

"Chill, Botan!" Shizuru said in a normal voice, not in the least bit trying as hard as her friend was. She ignored the glare she earned in return. "I mean, didn't you used to get into fist fights when you were a kid? So, what's wrong with taking on a few fan girls?"

" _And_ fan boys," Botan corrected, a shiver traveling down her spine at the image of an angry mob of fans chasing after her with axes in their hands.

Keiko looked startled. "Wait, Kurama-san has fan boys?"

Shizuru's mouth curled upwards into a lopsided grin. "Well, the guy _does_ look like a girl sometimes, so nothing weird about that."

"Poor Kurama-san…" Yukina suddenly mumbled under her breath. For some reason, the smallest girl in the group had a concerned and totally sympathetic expression on her pretty countenance. The others turned to peer at her.

"What is it, Yukina-chan?" Keiko questioned.

Crimson orbs shot up to meet a pair of brown. A smile curled at the corners of Yukina's lips. "Oh, I was thinking poor Kurama-san for having to deal with those kinds of fans. It must be really tiring sometimes," she said in her usual soft spoken voice. Meanwhile, Botan, on the other hand, was musing some mean thoughts, _Poor him my ass…_

"I'm guessing all the time," Shizuru chimed in, nodding her head in agreement. "I heard from a bird that he barely escaped unscathed when they tried to tackle him before. Thank god for his bodyguard, Kuronue, or else I'd think the guy would have ended up dead. I think I like him, by the way," she told her tale, the last sentence abruptly added.

"Who, Kurama?" Keiko asked.

Shizuru's expression was now contorted in slight discomfort. "Ugh, no. I don't like pretty boys. Though he's attractive, I'll give him that. But, no, he's not my type. And he's Botan's fiancé. It'd be wrong to be a home wrecker," she explained. "And besides, I meant Kuronue. He's so hot and totally my type," she went on, gushing like a simpering school girl – which was a rarity, especially for her. Obviously, she had a long, long-time crush on the handsome black-haired lad.

"What bird?" Botan's voice butted in. Apparently, the girl had grown feeling a bit left out after being quiet for so long. "And please don't say that about me and Shuichi. It's terribly uncomfortable – and I hate him."

This time, Shizuru averted her attention to the bluenette " _The_ bird," came her response.

"Are you sure? Your bird can't be trusted sometimes," Botan said, arching an eyebrow at the older woman, and almost instantly, receiving a loud, exasperated cry of 'Hey!' from said woman.

"Ah, Botan-chan, you called him Shuichi, right?" Keiko inquired, pinning a curious gaze on the girl in question.

Botan nodded her head. "Yeah, that's his real name, after all," she bluntly replied.

"I forgot. You were best friends with him during your childhood and going to your teens, weren't you? Is that how you got engaged?" the brunette questioned more.

Again, she earned a nod in return. "Yeah, sort of. Our parents – my father and his step dad – promised each other that they would marry me and Shuichi to one another when we get old enough," Botan explained a little, and gave out a light shrug of her shoulder. "I didn't think they would actually go through with it, though. I mean, we _were_ kids back then, after all. So, we kinda thought they were making a joke – and we still did until we found out about the whole wedding thing."

The others formed little 'o's with their mouths, as if they finally understood the situation. For some reason, the four young ladies were too engaged in their little conversation to notice the very, very long line of angry, waiting customers at the counter.

"So, you're going through with the engagement? Is it okay?" Yukina asked worriedly. She was always one to over think about her friends. So were Keiko and Shizuru, but the two were better at covering their concern. They were scared of the fact that Botan might be forced to do something she didn't really want to, after all.

The girl in question couldn't help but notice their concerns. She always had a weird talent of reading through people's emotions, even those she didn't know quite well yet – she figured that was one of the reasons so many people liked befriending her – so of course it came to no surprise that she swiftly caught on to the feelings taking residence in her best friends' hearts.

"Don't worry. I mean, I probably don't like him and all. But, it can't be that bad, now can it? Plus, I'm doing this for my father," Botan answered, her voice gentle yet firm, as the corners of her lips curved upwards into a reassuring smile in an attempt to somehow soothe her friends' fears.

They weren't convinced; after all, why go through all the trouble of marrying someone you're not in love with just to go along with your father's wishes, especially when he's abandoned you on more times than you can count? But, they were also aware of one other fact:

When Botan puts her mind into something, there's really nothing they can do to change her decision.

"I wish you the best," Shizuru said in a very dramatic voice – and was it Botan's imagination or was that a sob? "If he ever hurts you, then come to me, and I'll kick his stupid ass," she went on, patting the smaller girl on the shoulder.

Keiko was next. "Be happy! Have a lot of children!" And why was the brunette crying, for god's sake?

Yukina, on the other hand, was on the verge of tearing up. "T-take care of yourself… and your future husband… and your future kids… and don't forget about us and—" Good grief, the poor girl could hardly speak without sobbing once a while!

Botan blinked, wondering why her friends were acting all sentimental. Despite being totally intuitional when it comes to feelings, the girl can be pretty oblivious sometimes. She parted her lips to ask what was wrong, when a loud, angry shout pierced through the walls of the store – and did a mirror just break?

" **You incompetent idiots! We've been in line for ages, you morons! WE WANT TO PAY!** "

The four salesgirls, having eventually noticed the crowd of pissed off customers, quickly halted the soap opera.

* * *

Kurama was in the middle of being showered with praises from the director, his co-actors and actresses, and some of the filming crew, when out of the blue, his cellphone rang. Slipping one hand into his warm pocket, he fetched the piece of machinery, and flipped it open. The redhead proceeded to frown as he realized it was Kazuya's caller ID, glaring at him in white numbers from the screen. He politely excused himself, knowing he had to take the call even if he was reluctant to. He could feel Kuronue's and Hiei's eyes digging into his back as he walked to a more secluded area, but ignored the persistent stares as he pressed the 'Accept' button and placed the phone near his ear.

"Hello?" His greeting came off calm and polite, despite the underlying irritation in his voice, "How may I help you, my dear customer?"

" _Hey, son. How are you doing? Is the filming going alright?_ " His step father's voice resonated from the other end of the line, his words indicating that he had promptly ignored the redhead's blunt attempt at trying to annoy him by mimicking a lady from a store.

Dang.

"The filming's over for today. We're going to continue it some other time. And it went smoothly, by the way. Didn't know you care after all that threatening you went and pulled last time," Kurama responded in a monotous tone, despite his obviously disrespectful choice of words.

" _Now, Shu—"_

"Kurama."

Silence. And then… " _Anyway, I'm glad that it went great. As a father, I'm proud that I managed to raise you into such a successful young man._ "

The "successful young man" in question nearly scoffed, but then, he decided to go out on a limb. "Oh, please. Stop. I know you're too busy to call me on your cell. So, what's up? There must be something you want from me."

" _…_ _As usual, you're always so smart. That's to be expected from a genius like you, I suppose._ " A chuckle. " _Anyway, I was thinking: can you do me a favor?_ "

Emerald eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What favor?" cautiously, he questioned.

" _Well, I was thinking if you could go and pick Botan-chan up from her work place—_ "

"Why the _hell_ do _I_ have to do that?" Kurama growled, pearl white teeth gritting against each other, as his eyebrows creased in frustration.

" _Why not?_ " Kazuya shot back through the phone. " _I mean, you're practically left with no choice but to win her heart, so might as well just get to work already. It's difficult enough to earn a girl's affections – especially if you've offended her at least once – so, stalling isn't going to help you. Remember, what you reap, you sow. If you're going to ignore her, or avoid her, or argue with her all the time, then that's fine, but please bear in mind that it's your career you're risking here, Shuichi-kun._ "

For a moment, the redhead considered throwing his cellphone to the ground and stepping on it so he didn't have to have this conversation. But, the reminder that he was holding a brand new phone he just got two days prior held him back. No way in hell he was going to waste his money away for that frigging cave woman.

"And what do you suggest I do after I pick her up? Throw her into the streets?" came Kurama's sarcastic response, to which his step father blatantly ignored.

" _Take her on a date._ "

Kurama's jaws felled open. Literally. His expression was contorted into one filled with pure horror beyond definitions, looking as if he was absolutely appalled by the idea. Actually, he was.

"D-date? Me? And that—that _thing_?!"

" _Shuichi-kun, it's not nice to refer a lady as a thing. Botan-chan is in no way property. Please treat her with more respect. And me, too, while you're at it._ "

"Well, she _is_ property. If she's going to be my wife one day, then she is _my_ property," he said, before he could stop himself. It took him a moment, and Kazuya's deafening silence, for the terrifying revelation to hit him of what he just blurted out. Oh, my god! Please don't tell him he just said that… Surely, the heavens are cruel for making him _this_ dumb whenever it comes to the blue haired girl… He immediately decided he needed some damage control. "Just saying. That practically means she's a thing, in a way."

There was a 'pfft' sound from the other line, as if his step father was making an effort to hold back a chuckle.

A vein visibly popped at his forehead.

" _See? You're getting in character already. And I say this once again, Botan-chan is NOT a thing. If you want to call her yours, then just say that she's your lover and not some property you own—_ "

"Okay, okay! Just drop it already… Geez…" Kurama grumbled under his breath. He glared at nothing in particular, but he didn't seem even the slightest bit angry with the pink tint coloring his cheeks. "Why do I have to go through with this…" he murmured to himself more than to the other person.

" _Because you have to. And besides, you pushed her into the fountain yesterday. You should at least make it up to her._ "

"Ugh." Kurama rolled his eyes. "Please don't remind me."

" _What happened to lead you to doing such a thing, anyway? You two never explained anything to me—_ "

"Anyway," the younger male started, trying to avoid the topic. Really, that was the last thing he wanted to discuss about… And he sure as hell didn't want to think about the incident… or her… or her soft, warm lips pressing against his… or her wet and oh so talented tongue dancing with him… or her body, so good, so perfect, as it hugged his… or her moans, good lord, her _moans_ -! Just the sound of them was enough to drive him crazy— _No, stop. Get the fuck out of my head._ With that thought, he pushed the images into the deepest part of his mind, where hopefully, they would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER, show up again. He cleared his throat, faintly aware of the darkening blush on his now heating cheeks. "Anyway," he started yet again, swallowing a lump in his throat, "I'm going to need the location of her work place to pick her up."

" _Are you alright, Shuichi-kun? You were clearing your throat, and it sounded like you are in some discomfort. Is there something wrong?_ "

"Yes—um, I mean, no, nothing's wrong. My throat's kind of dry that's all. I haven't been drinking any water today, I suppose that's why. I forgot."

" _Oh. I see. Be more careful next time. We wouldn't want you to suffer from dehydration, now would we?_ "

"Yes, I'll bear that in mind. Now, the location, if you may…"

" _Alright, I can tell you where it is. But, are you sure you'll be fine? I mean, I'm afraid you don't know Osaka too much and that you might get lost…_ "

"I'll be _fine_ ," Kurama hissed, growing impatient, "Just give me the damn location."

" _Hm… very well then, if you say so. It's at…_ "

* * *

"By the way, Yukina," Shizuru started as they finally managed to satisfy all the angry horde of customers – although, that was after some yelling and calming down, of course – fixating her gaze on the sea green haired girl.

Yukina regarded her with a hum. "What is it, Shizuru-chan?"

"It's been bugging me for some time now… but, how did you know about the whole engagement thing between Kurama and Botan, anyway? I don't think news can spread _that_ fast, right? I mean, Botan," Shizuru paused to gesture a finger towards said blue haired girl, who was too busy sighing in relief that none of the customers noticed they were talking about _the_ Kurama, to, uh, well, notice Shizuru and Yukina discussing, "told us that she found out yesterday, so I think it's impossible that anyone could have known that quickly."

"Yeah, yeah! I'm curious, too!" came an excited exclamation from Keiko, who was, to be frank, supposed to be arranging some of the things in the store back to their original place. I mean, the bunch of ticked off customers nearly damaged the whole store. "Hey, Botan-chan!" she called over her shoulder, as she sauntered closer to the two –still– chattering girls. Botan, having snapped out of her trance after Keiko's call of her name, immediately flicked her head up in half surprise and half confusion.

"Huh?" came her stupid response.

"Don't you wanna know how Yukina found out about you and Kurama?" Keiko asked, although her words sounded more like a statement than anything else.

Botan's eyes widened. "Y-yeah…" she murmured, before slowly making her way to the others. Inwardly, she hoped to the heavens Yukina didn't know from the media… Oh, good lord, who knows how many pissed off fan girls would chase after her… (Although, it's not like they can keep it a secret for so long).

"Anyway, I kind of knew because my brother told me," Yukina informed them, Botan expelling a sigh of relief at her words. _Thank you, lord!_

"Your brother? You mean, your twin brother who lives in Tokyo?" Keiko inquired to make sure, blinking her big, brown orbs, startled.

Yukina nodded her head. "Yeah, I only found out about a month ago, but apparently he's been Kurama-san's manager for two years already. So, they're pretty close."

"Wait," Botan chimed in before the smaller girl could go on. She had one hand held up as if saying "Stop!" and a baffled expression on her lovely features. "How come you only found out about a month ago when he's been working for the ass—I mean, Shuichi, for a couple of years?" she asked.

Fortunately, the others didn't notice her little slip up – or, they pretended not to.

"Well," Yukina broke into a sheepish grin, "My brother's really good at keeping secrets. Even my mom had no clue. We kind of thought he was still staying overseas."

"Whoa," Shizuru let out a howl of laughter, "Either your big bro's an awesome guy or just freaking weird."

"Or both," Botan's voice butted in, joining in the laughter. Keiko, on the other hand, was going on the various numbers of possible ways one could keep a secret for that long…

"So, let me get this straight. Kurama told your brother about it and your brother told you… did I get it correct?" Shizuru questioned with an arched eyebrow as her – along with Botan's – fit of laughter diminished into thin air.

Yukina shook her head. "No, it's not like that at all. I mean, true, my brother did tell me about it, but it wasn't Kurama-san who informed him of the news. It was his step father, I think," she elaborated, Shizuru and Keiko nodding their heads as they took in the information.

Botan, on the other hand, was inwardly crying to herself why Kazuya would do such a thing to her…

"But, you know, isn't Kurama living in Tokyo?" Keiko asked, averting her attention to Botan, who halted her mental sobbing.

She nodded her head. "Yeah. But, apparently, he has a mansion here at Osaka. So, we're staying here. I think it's for my own convenience. I mean, I've only got this place—but _he_ can travel everywhere he wants for his job."

The girls' jaws dropped open – with the exception of Botan and Yukina. "He has his own mansion?!" the two women cried out in unison.

The bluenette nodded once more. "Uh-huh. The guy's damn rich. He comes from a wealthy family from the first place, and now he's working as an actor. So, it's not that surprising that he has so much money in his hands. Besides, sometimes, he doesn't even only use his cash, but his dad's as well… so yeah, go figure."

"Ah, I see…" Keiko muttered, as she got over her shock, whilst Shizuru was already calculating how much money the actor could possibly have, "That makes sense... I guess… A rich boy marrying a rich girl…" she murmured slowly.

Maybe she hadn't quite gotten over her shock yet.

"Well," Shizuru started, "Botan's still kinda different than him though, don't cha think? I mean, Botan basically never uses her parents' money."

The said girl frowned. "Yeah, that's because I want to make my own money and not depend on my parents'. It's theirs, not mine. I don't have the right, I think, even if I am their daughter. They gave me education and allowance when I was a kid, but I'm a grown up now, I can take care of myself without relying on them. And besides, I'm not a power abusing and money wasting psycho like Shuichi Mina—"

"Who's a power abusing and money wasting psycho?" A smooth, yet chilling voice echoed in the air, sending a shiver down Botan's spine and making the hairs on her neck stand upright. Oh, god… Don't let it be _him_ …

True enough, just as she –dreadfully– whipped around, she met gaze with a pair of irritated pools of emeralds.

Uh-oh.

Shizuru blinked.

Keiko tripped on her feet. Literally.

Yukina, on the other hand, seemed like she was having a heart attack…

Botan watched with a thin line tugging at her mouth as he pushed himself off the entrance, crossing his arms and strolling his way towards her, every step he took as deadly calm as the one before. She momentarily noted the pair of blue jeans hugging his –firm– legs, coupled with the black buttoned-down shirt with a few buttons _un_ buttoned, leaving his alabaster chest bare for her to—

Oh, god, what was she thinking?!

She shook her head vigorously from left to right. No, this wasn't right! She was supposed to ask him why he was here, not conjure up dirty, erotic images of his half naked form—

Good lord.

She could have sworn she was blushing.

The smug smirk teasing Kurama's lips was testimony enough.

"W-why are you here?" she stammered, sounding indignant, but the glare clearly wore off due to the dark crimson shade coloring her cheeks. "If you think you can just come barging in like 'hey!' like that without my permission, then you're barking at the wrong tree, buddy—"

All of a sudden, his arm reached hers, grabbing a tight hold of the poor, confused young girl. But, before she could harshly push him away, he smirked,

And then, came those words…

"Let's go on a date."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 6**

"Why am I stuck with you?" Botan's exasperated voice spat at the redhead walking calmly in front of her with a drink in his right hand and his mouth wrapped around the straw, sipping the contents. Nonetheless, he continued to ignore her for the _eleventh_ time, after her _eleventh_ complaint.

After the whole Kurama asking her out on a date thing, her three 'loyal' most trusted companions, Keiko, Yukina, and Shizuru apparently thought it was a great idea to let her be alone with him – even to the point of lying to their boss about her having a supposedly high fever. Shizuru, being the one always rushing into things, accidentally blurted out that she was suffering from a chronic and incurable disease. Thank god – or not, depending on Botan's point of view – for Keiko who came in right on time and gave a somewhat acceptable excuse. The brunette figured their strict employer, Koenma Daioh, wouldn't let her off the hook that easily if her temperature wasn't high enough to allow her for an early leave from work, which was why she came up with the whole Botan having a 'serious fever' totally plausible but totally fake tale. Worse, Botan even had to pretend she was sick as her boss interrogated her – for some reason, he thought it was smart to interrogate a sick person, and even if she wasn't literally sick, she found it oddly wrong – while Kurama stood around, watching her with that stupid, lopsided grin on his stupid freaking face.

Maybe her friends already met Kurama before, and had schemed on forcing her to indulge in his sudden weird desire to date her—although, it was a far cry from what was supposed to be a date. Even so, now that she couldn't exactly go back to the store, much less to the mansion with Kurama tugging painfully on her wrist, his hold vice like, and leaving her no means of escape, Botan was well aware that she had no choice but to play along.

For now.

"Where are we going?" she asked, a wince escaping her when he dug his blunt nails into her smooth skin. It didn't particularly hurt much, but it was definitely uncomfortable. Was he thinking of ripping her arm out of its socket or something?

Kurama bit the inside of his cheek as he realized he accidentally dug his nails into her wrist. The girl was probably growing annoyed… but he couldn't help it! He was nervous – not that he would ever admit that as a fact. Not to himself, and much less to _her_. Besides, she practically deserved it after doing nothing but whine for the past few minutes. What, did she think it was easy for him to come and pick her up? Hell no! Sure, the filming had been over, but what he considered had been a very, very, very pain in the butt problem was his supposedly best friends – he should demote them soon, by the way – Kuronue and Hiei who somehow found out and wouldn't stop pestering him about it. Really, with Kuronue's playful side and Hiei's cold, sarcastic demeanor, the two was bound to bite each other's head off with each time they met. But, for some reason, they seemed to be fully capable of joining forces whenever they had something to poke fun at the redhead about. He should just stop being friends with them.

"Wherever," Kurama snorted, his shyness now replaced with an awfully bad mood after having remembered the recent events. He should probably make this girl suffer as well. It was bad enough that he had to put up with her, she was making it worse by constantly whining her ass off like a little girl.

Botan raised her eyebrow at him, only to brighten up her features with a wide, excited grin a moment later. Apparently, the irritated tone in his voice had gone unnoticed by her.

"Really?" she beamed, startling the redhead who hadn't expected her thrilled cry. "We can really go wherever?" she questioned, as if asking for some confirmation.

He blinked stupidly at her for a moment, half surprised and half baffled at her sudden change of attitude. He stared at her, and she stared back with a face full of excitement and curiosity that could match even the cutest kid – not that he liked kids much, so he still didn't like her. He quickly reassured himself, but it was obvious he failed miserably in his efforts, as a light blush appeared on his cheeks.

Damage control. Yeah, this situation needed some damage control. Or else, he lost himself in her.

"Yeah, wherever. And I don't mean wherever _you_ want to go. But wherever _I_ want to go. Who cares about what you want?" he half-heartedly scoffed.

Unfortunately, she didn't seem to get the memo and hit him or yell at him like usual. Instead, she merely pulled the most adorable pout she could manage. "Aww, come on…" she practically begged, and surprisingly, linked her arm with his, catching the boy off guard, "I really want to go to this one place! It's called Miyarakin Park… Keiko said it's fun! She went there with her boyfriend last month, you see… and they had this sort of interesting…"

Kurama blocked out the rest of her words, more focused on their linked arms more than anything else. A part of him conjured up some ways to shut her up – although, one in particular stuck in his mind. But, he tried not to think of it. Regardless, what the hell was she babbling about, anyway? Why couldn't she stop talking? And what was this Miyarakin—

His eyes widened as the revelation hit him. Halting in his movements, Kurama was vaguely aware of Botan's indignant cry for tugging her back as well as he fetched for something in his pockets. A moment later, he found what he was looking for, his fingers meeting the couple scraps of paper, before retrieving it from his pocket. He studied the tickets in his hands, noting the name 'Miyarakin Park' accentuated in bright, feminine colors. As he expected…

"What's that?" Botan asked, as she noticed he had something in his hand. When she leaned in to get a closer look, her own eyes grew wide. "EH? Aren't these two of the limited tickets for Miyarakin Park? How did you get these, anyway?" she tried to sound as neutral as she could, but she herself couldn't deny the fact it was provoking her excitement.

"Uh… A friend gave them to me…" he mumbled absent-mindedly. Truth be told, a friend _did_ give them to him. A 'certain' friend. Damn Kuronue… No wonder he was trying so hard to get the redhead to accept his small 'gift'. He was partially at fault as well for not checking what it was first, and falling for Kuronue's tricks.

A mental sigh.

Oh, well. Might as well put them to good use. Maybe he should just give these to some—Wait, he and Botan could go. They could go together. And no, not because he had any feelings for her and wanted to go with her and spend some quality, special, and romantic time with her—No, no, that wasn't it. This was an opportunity.

If he really wanted to win her affections and save his acting career – one of the few things in the world he truly cared about – then this was it. This was it. His chance. He had to take it.

"Let's go."

Botan almost felt like she dreamt the whole thing as the words that escaped his lips was insanely unbelievable. "What?"

"Miyarakin Park." He finally took his eyes off the tickets, to lift his head and meet her gaze. "Let's go to Miyarakin Park."

"Huh? Really?" She could barely contain the joy that overwhelmed her senses. Kurama was asking her… he was actually asking her to… She nodded her head, a warm, happy smile touching her lips.

A part of him felt pleased to see the gleeful expression on her face, but a moment later, he quickly brushed the feeling off. _No. I can't let her soften me again._ With that line of thought in his mind, he averted his gaze away from her mesmerizing features.

She instinctively clung his arm close to her chest due to the overwhelming excitement and joy surging through her, to which Kurama blushed beet red at the feel of her soft breasts pressing against his elbow. Good lord, did the woman not have any self conscious?!

"More importantly, get your freaking hands off of me!"

* * *

"Hey, Hiei…" Kuronue called for the short, raven-haired male sitting idly on the couch. He averted his gaze from the window, and removed his hands from their position on the sill, before turning to look at said short man.

"Hm?" Hiei merely hummed in response, too busy studying Kurama's schedule to bother giving a more proper response.

"This Botan girl…" Kuronue started, sauntering his way towards the couch and flopping down on it. He looked thoughtful, seeming to be considering something.

"What about her?"

"Does Kurama like her?"

"He used to, I guess. But, in my opinion, he still likes her."

'That's your opinion, right?"

"It's called an opinion for a reason."

A pause. "Is she hot?"

Hiei's absent-minded responses came to a halt as he lifted his gaze to pin a deadpanned stare on the other black-haired lad. "Like Kurama said, if you're thinking of boning her, then forget it."

"Why does he care? He doesn't like her, right?"

"How the hell should I know? Besides, the woman's the future wife for another man. Are you seriously thinking of sleeping with a married female?"

Kuronue tried to ignore the judgmental gaping of Hiei. "She's not married, yet. She's _engaged,_ " he corrected with his index finger held up. Hiei rolled his eyes. "And besides, I'm not thinking of anything of the sort. As bad as a womanizing prick I may be, I don't touch what belongs to another."

"… So you admit you're a womanizing prick?"

Kuronue was unresponsive.

Hiei, realizing that he was being ignored, decided to say something else, "Then, why the hell did you ask those questions?"

A light shrug. "Just curious, is all."

"Hmm… fine." Hiei decided not to prod any further. His friend – not that he would ever admit that – was probably telling the truth, anyway. "By the way, Kuro, what was it that you gave to Kurama earlier?"

A sly smirk. A wriggling of black eyebrows. "Well, you see…"

* * *

Kurama sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

"Will you let go of my sleeve please?" he asked, in what came off as a soft demand, but the underlying annoyance underneath was unconceivable.

Botan, who had been too preoccupied gawking in awe at the various fun rides she could go on in the park, blinked in confusion for a few times. Then, peering down to her hand, catching sight of her fingers gripping tightly on the redhead's sleeve, she finally registered what he said into her mind. Blushing hotly, Botan immediately released the hold she had around the poor piece of clothing.

"S-sorry…" she mumbled timidly, her eyes casting elsewhere to avoid meeting his. She hadn't realized she was doing that. Reflex, maybe…? She always likes to hold on to her friends whenever they walk together. Reflex, of course. Reflex.

"Well, it's fine, as long as you don't do it again," he responded bluntly, not bothering to whip around to face her. He was sure she was blushing, anyway. And he figured if he saw, he might end up blushing, too, so he should just avoid looking at her.

"But, you know…" Botan started all of a sudden. Either she was trying to change the subject or attempting make small conversation, Kurama didn't know.

"What?"

"It's really nice of your friend to give you the tickets. He must be a good person," she finished. He could tell she had a smile on her face as she said this.

Kurama rolled his eyes sardonically. "Yeah, nice… Right…" he grumbled to himself, more than to her. Fortunately, the girl didn't hear. Or else, she would probably be probing him with questions he didn't even want to answer.

Emerald orbs blinked when the soft padding of said girl's footsteps abruptly felled into silence, as if the owner had stopped. Kurama, realizing she did, promptly halted in his tracks as well. He rotated his body to the right to see Botan gazing at a toy shop. They were about two buildings away from Miyarakin Park—what the hell was she doing?

He studied her, realizing that from the dreamy look reflected in her eyes, and the gawking in awe of her mouth, there must be something in the shop that caught her eye. Walking slowly towards her, he stopped when he was five inches from her. He continued to eye her a bit more, before following her gaze. His eyes grew wide as it finally hit him what it was that his fiancé had been staring at.

There, on the top shelf, stood neatly a big, pink-furred toy bear.

* * *

 _"_ _Here!"_

 _The small, crying blue haired little girl of eight years old looked up at the redheaded boy holding a huge furry pink toy bear. The size of the thing was so big that it was the exact same height of said boy and covered most of his face, except for his emerald orbs peeking through from the top of its head._

 _"_ _Uwah!" she beamed, wiping her tears away. There was a noticeably drastic change of her mood as a bright, ear to ear grin came to form on her lips. "Kuma-chan!" she called it, taking the bear away from the boy as he handed it to her._

 _"_ _Do you like it?" he asked the girl, who was admiring the toy._

 _She lifted her gaze to meet his. There was a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "Yeah, I do. Thank you, Shu-chan!"_

 _"_ _I told you, call me Shuichi-kun! Shu-chan sounds so girly!"_

 _"_ _Ehhhh? No!" the girl stubbornly responded, shaking her head._

 _The little Shuichi gave her an exasperated stare, before heaving a sigh. A small, shy smile slowly curled at the corners of his lips. "But if you like it, then I'm glad… Botan-chan."_

 _The grin that was never gone from her adorable features faltered slightly. "But, Shu-chan… how did you get this? Money…"_

 _"_ _It's okay. I asked my mom, and she gave me some cash to buy it for you as an early birthday gift." Another blush suddenly crept up his countenance. "Well, I wanted to buy it with my own money, then it would be more meaningful, but I'm still a kid so I don't have any. Not nearly as enough as that thing, anyway."_

 _"_ _Oh…" The grin was back. "Thank you, Shu-chan! I love it! And I love you!"_

 _"_ _W-what? What are you saying?!"_

 _The boy yelped as the girl tackled him to the ground, her small arms clinging tightly to his petite waist. The toy bear laid beside them momentarily forgotten._

* * *

"Hey, Shuichi…" Botan's demure voice resonated in the air, bringing him out of the reverie.

 _It's from that time…_ he thought for a second, before fixating his gaze on the girl. She was biting her lip, teeth grinding on the plump skin, and her eyes were downcasted to the ground, the faint tinge of pink on her cheeks giving a cute effect on her porcelain skin.

"Do you want it?" he asked, before he could stop himself. He wasn't sure what possessed him to utter out those words, but for some reason, he felt the sudden urge to give her the toy.

The blush faded from her cheeks at his words. Her eyes broadened in surprise, and her mouth hung open slightly. "W-what?" she stammered, unsure if she heard it right the first time.

His stoic expression abruptly turned serious, the determination evident in his vibrant orbs, catching Botan off guard.

"I ask you again, do you want it?" he repeated, his voice firmer this time. His eyes stared into hers, mesmerizing and smoldering, seeming to stare right into her soul. What's gotten into him all of a sudden?

"E-eh? The toy bear? U-um, I don't know. But, Shuichi… Do you remember, you once bought it for me when we were kids… but, it got destroyed by my little brother, so, I don't have it with me anymore. I-I'm sorry I—"

Her words felled into deaf ears, and were abruptly cut short as a callous hand grabbed hers in a firm yet gentle grip, tugging her into the shop.

"W-wait, Shuichi!" she tried to struggle, to protest, but to no avail. The boy's hold on her was so tight she couldn't even break free. Expelling a soft sigh, Botan decided to just go with the flow, allowing him to do whatever.

Kurama turned to look at the clerk. "That." He held up his free hand and pointed his finger at the pink furry toy bear. "How much is it?" he inquired in a curt tone.

"Uh…" The clerk, who backed a little at the unwavering gaze of the redhead, sweatdropped, "Uh… 3500 yen—"

A few scraps of paper were thrown on the counter. Glancing down, the clerk realized it was money—in just the right amount of 3500 yen. He blinked, his eyes wide, shocked by the sudden action.

"What?" Kurama narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You don't want cash?"

The clerk, having snapped out of his trance at the redhead's harsh words, shook his head viciously from right to left. "N-no! I'll take it!" he quickly said, grabbing the money on the counter before the young customer could.

A smirk tugged at Kurama's lips, clearly amused by the clerk's funny antics. "Then…" He pointed at the toy once more. "Get it down for me."

"Y-yes!"

The clerk hurriedly went for the shelf the toy was situated on, scurrying in a way that reminded the young actor of his maids at his family's household. He scoffed at the memory, momentarily noting the resemblance to that of dirty mice.

"I-is it okay? I never said—" Botan started, only to be cut short yet again by her betrothed.

"It's fine," he reassured her, although his tone leaned more on the threatening side than the reassuring side. "You want it, right? I saw you staring at it like a little girl."

"Little—" Botan cut her own indignant cry short, as a bright crimson shade crept up her cheeks. "Y-you didn't have to actually get it for me," she murmured, but she couldn't deny that she was in fact, happy that he would go so far for her.

"Whatever," Kurama snorted, and rolled his eyes, but there was certainly a red tint on his cheeks – although not as dark as hers – that wore off the effect.

When the clerk finally got it off the shelf – with a noticeably large amount of effort, for some reason – he handed it to the redhead, who told him to give it to the girl. Botan blinked, before taking it in her hands. A small, wistful smile touched her lips. _It feels so much smaller than fourteen years ago… when we were eight…_

"Thank you," she said to the clerk, barely able to refrain her grin from widening. Kurama muttered a simple thanks, before they headed for the door. A chiming sound of a bell sounded as Kurama pushed it open and exited the shop, closing it behind him.

"And thank you as well," Botan spoke as soon as they were out in the busy streets again.

"Yeah, whatever," came his monotous response. The girl merely grinned, watching him as he eventually released her hand and slipped his into the warmth of his pockets. He could have easily said a natural 'you're welcome'; the silly boy.

"I didn't think you'd be willing to get this for me," she said, once more, causing the redhead to blush yet again.

"Well, it wasn't not that hard," he scoffed, as he collected a bit of composure, "I mean, 3500 yen's practically 0.0000001% out of the money I have, so it's really no big deal." He shrugged, a light smirk lingering at the edge of his lips.

Botan let a fit of girlish giggle pour out of her lips. "Yeah, yeah, Mr. Rich…" she teased, her grin broadening ever so slightly as the blush came back, tinting his face in bright red.

She hugged the stuffed toy tightly in her arms, loving its soft fur and the fact Kurama went out of his way to buy it for her. Maybe—just maybe—underneath all that arrogance, grumpiness, and cold demeanor, there still was the Kurama—the Shuichi—she used to care about. Her best friend. Her first love. _Perhaps… I hope so…_ she thought wishfully. She wasn't sure, of course. But, she was willing to give him a chance. Besides, if she tried hard enough, maybe she could change him to the way he used to be. _Yes. I can do it._

Emerald eyes ogled her, studying the wide, overjoyed smile teasing her lips and the pure glee reflected in her beautiful— _okay, stop, not beautiful_ —pools of amethysts. Somehow, for some reason, staring down at her with that happy look on her lovely— _cut it off, not lovely, no way_ —features, Kurama couldn't help the small smile that unconsciously curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Do you like it?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 7**

"So this is it…" Kurama murmured to himself, his eyes glancing around and studying the park's atmosphere. It was big, and it seemed clean enough. The various rides and the many kinds of stores caught his interest. But, the considerably large amount of people was a problem. He wasn't fond of crowds – heck, he didn't even like kids, he thought as he watched a couple of them running past them.

But, oh well. Not like he had a choice in the matter, anyway.

He felt a light tug at his sleeve, taking a brief moment to trail his gaze to the hand grabbing the piece of clothing, before fixing it on the owner. She seemed to be pointing at something.

"Hey, hey, Shuichi!" she exclaimed in utter excitement, the wide grin on her face similar to that of a child's. "Let's go there!"

At her offer, Kurama rotated his head to follow the direction her index finger was pointing at – and caught sight of a huge house. As if the ominous atmosphere surrounding the building wasn't enough, there were a few vines slithered up the walls and an almost too real graveyard in front of the porch. At the gate, a sign stood high up, with the big-lettered words 'HAUNTED HOUSE. COME ON AND VISIT THE DEAD' written on it, serving as an open invitation for guests to enter.

His eyebrows creased into a deep frown. "Seriously? Can't you pick a normal place for starters?" he asked incredulously, averting his gaze from the haunted house and pinning a weird stare on the girl.

She pursed her lips. "Aw, but I wanted to go…" she uttered, her voice laced with childish disappointment.

"Why?"

"Umm… because a few people were saying that it's really fun…" she spoke slowly, in fear that he would lash out of her if she said the wrong words. The look on his face was testimony enough.

Fortunately for her, he didn't resort to yelling at all. Nonetheless, the frown remained etched to his forehead like glue. "You can't trust people that much. Not everyone have good tastes in what could be perceived as 'fun'."

"Wow, why does that sound so rude?" she stated more than asked, but despite her words, there was a playful touch in her voice, and a smile lingered at the corners of her lips.

"Well, nothing wrong in trying it out, anyway," he declared, and for a moment, was confused at himself. Why was he trying so hard to comply with her wishes? Was it because he felt the need to please her?

He shook his head, brushing that line of thought out of his head. _No… I'm only doing this because I need her to like me. I… I don't care about her._ He tried to convince himself, in spite the fact it wasn't entirely that convincing. _I need her to like me… if I don't, then I have to quit acting. And that's the last thing I want. This girl is of to no importance—_

"Really?" Botan beamed in joy, cutting short his musings. "We can go?"

Kurama, slightly taken aback by the sudden disruption of his chain of thoughts, stared at her with eyes wide in surprise. It took him a moment before he could nod his head. He wasn't sure what startled him; either it was the fact he got distracted, or the fact that he couldn't quite take his eyes off of her happy countenance.

He should really keep his mind out of the gutter.

"Yay!" He heard her roar in glee, and felt a warm hand cup his, fingers – smaller than his and obviously didn't belong to him – curled around his, intertwining tightly. He blushed momentarily, before shouting at the girl to slow down when she tugged and dragged him towards the haunted house, moving with a speed of a lightning bolt. It almost felt like his arm would come off – but, on the bright side, his annoying blush was gone now.

"Hey! Slow down a bit, will you?" he yelled at her as she literally sprinted through the gate. A loud, relieved breath was expelled from his lips as she finally did as she was told, his footsteps coming to enter a slower and slower pace, as she slowed down, before seconds after, she eventually stopped in her tracks, leaving him no choice but to halt as well. He felt her release his hand, pulling away, and tried to brush off the disappointment that over took his senses at the lost of contact and warmth.

He should really, really keep his mind out of the gutter.

"Please leave your personal belongings here at the entrance," an employee of the park, a woman with dark brown hair tied messily in a bun, gestured to the stuffed toy bear with pink, soft fur in Botan's hands. Wait, she's still carrying that thing?

Botan's mouth formed a cute pout for a moment, but then it was quickly replaced by an understanding smile. It was as if she didn't really want to part with the stuffed toy – which she named 'Kura-chan' (he suspected it was due to the reason he bought it for her, but it wasn't like he had a choice as she kept ignoring his orders to change its name. After a while, he eventually gave up; the girl was as stubborn as a mule) – but understood that she had to let it go. Although, Kurama wasn't sure what the big deal was. It was only for some time, anyway.

"Hey, Botan. It's not like we're not going to come back, so just leave it," he didn't bother to hide his thoughts, voicing them out in a blunt tone. Apparently, he made the wrong move as the girl shot a death glare at his direction.

"Oh?" the employee sounded off, whilst taking Kura-chan as Botan handed it to her. Her blue orbs stared intently at the redhead, who gradually grew uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze. "You… You're Kurama, right?" she asked, and the actor in question visibly paled.

"Uh…" He tried to make up an excuse, but couldn't say anything. He racked his brain and came up with a few brilliant ones, but for some reason, found it hard to utter any words at her stare – which was getting creepier and creepier by the second. Good lord, if this woman was one of his crazy, fanatic groupies, then please save him. From the predatory look in her eyes, Kurama could tell she was ready to jump on him or chase after him and took a moment to consider his means of escape.

The gate… but it was already shut. When the hell did they close it?

Dang.

Botan, having realized the creepy gaping of the female employee and the noticeable draining of color from her fiance's face, decided to take some desperate measures. Inhaling a deep breath, Botan pulled the most fake but real indignant glare she could manage.

"Sorry, but—" One arm shot up and linked with Kurama's, whose eyes broadened at the sudden action, "—He's mine," she said, her tone possessive as she tightened her hold around the redhead.

You know those three dots you always see in shows? Yeah, imagine them right at this moment.

" _HUH?!_ " Two separate cries, one from a shocked, confused male, and the other one from an angry, jealous fan, reverberated in the whole park, gaining the other guests' attentions as they peered at the three standing in front of the haunted house.

Kurama had a really, really dark crimson blush on his cheeks. "W-what are you saying, you idiot?!" he stammered, his mouth opening and closing like a fish – a look he expected to see on Botan's features than on his own. _What the hell did she mean by… that…_ His frantic thoughts slowly but gradually disappeared, fading into the recesses of his mind as he realized: Oh, so that's what she's trying to do…

Oh.

"And this!" Botan pointed at the pink toy bear, before snatching it out of the employee's grasp. "This is a gift from my fiancé, Shuichi Minamino!" she went on before she could stop herself. When she realized what she just blurted out, she inwardly kicked herself in the shin. Oh, god! Why did she have to say that word 'fiancé'?!

Well, then again, she was going to die for saying Kurama's hers anyway, so might as well just tell the truth than taking it to her grave…

Kurama stood next to her with an icy glare boring into the back of her head. If looks could kill… _Tell it to the whole world, why don't you?!_ His mind screamed.

"S-Shuichi?!" The employee—or the fan—cried out, her hands curling into fists at each side of her hips. A raging, blazing fire burned deep in her now dark blue orbs.

"Yeah, Shuichi! It's his real name, and I'm the only one allowed to call him that!" Despite her inwardly beating herself up for the mistake of accidentally blurting out Kurama's her fiancé, Botan was actually doing a good job acting as the clingy, possessive betrothed…

Maybe Kurama should recommend her to one of his director slash friends…

Nah. Not really.

The brown haired employee was on the verge of bursting. If her pissed off red face, her gritting teeth and her death glares didn't give it away – the fuming surely did. Her arms reached out to grab Botan's neck with the devilish intentions of choking the girl to death, but another employee – fortunately male but we can't assume they're completely safe because Kurama has his share of fan boys – came, _hopefully_ , to their rescue.

"Yuko, let me handle this… you go handle that couple—they're asking for the mock-wedding, but they don't have the platinum tickets," the employee, a man seeming in his mid 20's, with blonde hair and hazel orbs said, while pointing at a certain lovey-dovey couple far from the haunted house.

"B-but—" The fan – now known as Yuko – went to make an excuse, but didn't manage to get a word out when her co-worker pushed her gently towards the couple, leaving her no choice to comply. Grumbling something incoherent under her breath, Yuko shot one last glare at Botan, the said girl sweatdropping and letting out a nervous laugh, before walking out the gate.

The male employee watched his friend disappear into the crowd for a few moments, before turning to peer over at Kurama. He regarded the redhead with a smile, ignoring the latter's blatant ignoring of the quirk of his lips.

"My apologies on behalf of Yuko. She's just… a very big fan of yours," he said, curtly, pausing at the last sentence.

Kurama rolled his eyes. "Obviously."

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but you should be more careful, Kurama-san," the male employee continued to warn. "This park is full of people. If you don't disguise yourself enough to hide your true identity, then I'm afraid you'll find it hard to avoid your more… um, 'quirky' fans."

The actor stared at him for a moment, seeming to consider something. "Yeah… I suppose you're right," he responded. Admitting such a stupid mistake was embarrassing at the very least, and degrading at most, but he knew he had no choice. Why didn't he think of that? Usually he was so smart, always taking precautions. But, today, he seemed a little out of it. Maybe the stress of having to be forced into something he didn't want any relations with – _cough_ the wedding gig _cough_ – was getting to him.

Botan grinned at the male employee, Kurama's exasperated stare going unnoticed by the girl. "Thank you, by the way, for saving us earlier… um…" she paused, glancing down at the white buttoned uniform until her eyes found a name tag. "Um… Kazuki-san!"

All of a sudden, 'Kazuki' let out a laugh. "No, my name isn't Kazuki. This is actually my friend's name tag. I was in a hurry and forgot mine, and it just happens that he's not working today because of some personal problems, so I borrowed it from him… but you're welcome, anyway, miss," he elaborated, the smile teasing his lips broadening slightly, touching his eyes in mirth.

Botan blinked. "Huh? Is that so? Why? Would something bad happen if you don't have your name tag?" she asked, curious and confused at the same time.

He nodded his head in response. "Yeah, you can say that. This park has rules for its employees to always have their name tags, at all costs, so I'd be in trouble if my boss finds out. That's why," Kurama couldn't help but notice that the male employee had leaned in closer to Botan, "let's keep this a secret between us."

Botan, the ever blissfully ignorant one, didn't notice their proximity which had considerably neared. "Okay!" she replied, cheerful as usual. "Don't worry about it, I won't say anything," she went on reassuring, making a zipping signal over her mouth. "Anyway, what's your real name? It'd be nice to know after all that help you gave us earlier."

For some reason, Kurama felt a surge of relief overwhelm his senses as the other male pulled away. "Hmm… my name's Shinichi. What's yours?"

"Shinichi, eh? I have a cousin named Shuichi. And my name's Botan."

"Botan… huh?" A hand reached to cup the girl's chin, tilting her head up. Botan, baffled by the sudden action, blinked in surprise. "Such a pretty name for a pretty girl…"

The blue haired young woman couldn't help but blush beet red – both in embarrassment and shy pride – at the compliment. Although she was always showered with praises from the opposite sex, she could never get used to them. It was so… embarrassing and honoring at the same time. Yet, of course, she knew they were only attracted to her for her looks. So, she was swift to look away and uncomfortably broke free from Shinichi's hold on her chin.

Shinichi blinked once, before letting a small chuckle erupt from his throat. Somehow, the girl amused him with her reaction. "Would you mind handing me the stuffed toy?" he inquired, all playfulness aside, his business mode taking over.

Botan blinked as well, before lowering her gaze to Kura-chan situated comfortably in her arms. Slowly, she nodded her head, and proceeded to hand it to him. Shinichi took it into his hands, sending the girl a smile that seemed too friendly for Kurama's taste.

Irritation taking over, Kurama decided that he had enough of this. Abruptly, he took Botan's hand in his, startling his fiancé who hadn't expected the contact. His fingers squeezed protectively around hers, Botan blushing hotly at the simple gesture. She doubted he did it with on purpose, though.

Kurama's eyes narrowed at Shinichi, the anger and possessiveness evident in his pools of emeralds, whilst the latter gave a sheepish grin in return, apparently finally realizing he did something wrong.

"Does your job acquire you flirting with your guests as well? If that's so, then I must say that your higher-ups are rather lenient with you people," the redhead said, his voice deadly calm, but the underlying anger was barely conceivable.

 _You people?_ Shinichi thought amusedly to himself. Well, he was at fault here, so he couldn't really blame the young actor for getting mad at him for flirting with his betrothed. "Forgive me, Kurama-san," he uttered, making a graceful bow of apology. "It seems I went out of line."

"Yes," Kurama heartlessly responded, and repeated, "Yes, you did."

Shinichi grinned for a moment, before dropping the quirk of his lips, as he made to stand straight. "Well, now that we're done here," he started, and extended one hand at the door of the haunted house, "please go on ahead and enter. Your fun adventure awaits you."

Kurama spared one brief warning glance at Shinichi, before giving out a scoffing sound and headed for the entrance, dragging poor, baffled Botan, who was still, well, baffled with what just happened to even resist.

When he casted another glance from his shoulder at Shinichi, he could have sworn he saw the infuriating employee giving him an annoying wave, bidding him farewell.

"Tch," he sounded off, before looking away. Stepping up the porch, Kurama pulled Botan along as he strolled for the door. He placed one fist on the doorknob, and proceeded to twist it to the right, pushing the old, dusty wooden material open. He entered, Botan following closely behind him and shut the door close behind him, the thing creating a loud, creepy creaking noise that seemed to reverberate through the walls.

As they went in, Kurama turned to pin his stare on the girl, who seemed too busy scrunching her nose in disgust at the spider webs covering most of the stairs to notice. Her ignorance to his gaze merely added more fuel to his –for some reason– furious state of mind, causing the redhead to let out a low, dangerous growl, before taking Botan by her forearms and before she could react, spun her around until they were face to face.

"W-what is it, Shuichi?" Botan questioned in worry, despite her startled self, and gaped back at his stoic, unreadable expression. When she looked into his eyes, she gasped at the anger and hurt reflected in his orbs, turning his pools of emeralds into a dark forest green.

"What was that?" he asked, ignoring her. His eyes seemed to search hers, as if seeking for an answer.

"W-what was… w-w-what was what?" she stammered, barely aware that she wasn't making sense… because, well, he wasn't making any sense either.

She realized she had said the wrong thing when he narrowed his eyes at her. " _That._ " He pointed out, although his own response was very vague. When she still seemed confused, he added, "That, with that guy."

Botan blinked. "You mean, Shinichi?"

"Who else would I mean?" he retorted, as he rolled his eyes.

"O-oh," she said, despite the fact she was still unsure why he was so upset. Did she do something wrong? "T-that's kinda normal. I mean, I get compliments like that from guys every day so—"

Wait, she always gets compliments? And from _guys_ , no less? "How many?" he asked, not realizing the frantic look that had crossed his features.

"H-how many?"

"Yeah! How many?"

"U-um, I don't know. I don't really keep count…"

"Why not?"

"W-why not? D-does it matter?"

"It—" He cut himself short. _Does it matter?_ He echoed the words in his mind. It took him a moment before reality came back, rearing its ugly head and slapping him hard in the face. True. Did it matter? Did any of this matter? Why was he acting like this?

"Shuichi…" The girl's voice called, bringing him out of his reverie. "Are you jealous?" she inquired, her voice soft and hesitant, as if she was scared she might be misunderstanding something.

Kurama felt as if someone just kicked him in the gut, and threw him to a wall. That was how much her words affected him. _Him? Jealous?_ His name and that word never went in the same sentence. And unless you told him something among the lines of 'Kurama, that guy's jealous of you because of your good, almost otherworldly handsome looks, your freaking intelligent mind, and your in-born talents', then that was most likely impossible. But, that aside, here he was, standing in front of the girl he'd been trying so desperately to avoid for years, looking as if he was _jealous._ Of all things, _jealousy_.

As he let that thought sink in his head, he unconsciously released her, Botan nearly falling on her butt at the sudden, unexpected action.

 _Me? Jealous? Why would I be? I don't see her that way—not anymore._ He thought to himself, brows furrowing in frustration. Why couldn't he just—He sighed. Lifting his head, Kurama fixed his gaze on the girl, _his heart literally flipping_ at the worried look on her lovely features. Why was she staring at him like that? _Don't. Don't look at me like that._ This wasn't fair. _He_ was supposed to be the one making her fall head over heels for him. _He_ was supposed to be the one in control. And yet… this wasn't fair. He was literally pulling an enormous amount of effort to win her heart, and yet he found _his_ desiring the girl. It wasn't fair. It was unacceptable.

It just wasn't bloody fair.

Irritated at himself and at her, Kurama shot daggers at her, "What? Do you really think I'd be jealous? Over someone like _you_? Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror? Why would I be wasting my emotions on _you_ , of all people?" he scoffed at her, although inwardly a part of him felt like he was asking these questions to himself more than to her.

Her concern dying down, taking its place was nothing but pure wrath. Botan gawked at him. "W-what—How dare you! Why do you always have to be such a—"

"Anyway," he started, abruptly cutting her off, to which the girl fumed in response, "Why would you go and tell a stranger about our engagement? Weren't you thinking?"

"I-I was!" she roared back, the raging, blazing fire of fury reflected in her pair of amethysts an exact opposite from the calm, collected emeralds of the redhead. "But, it wasn't on purpose! I-I accidentally blurted it out!"

A heavy sigh. "You're still as dumb and clumsy as ever, aren't you?"

"What was that?!" A finger was pointed accusingly at his face. "At least, I said something! You just stood there staring at your little fan girl, Yuko-chan! Oh, Yuko-chan! Yuko-chan! Did you fall in love with her or something?"

That was it. He lost his composure. "W-what did you say?!" he shouted out his retort, "Say that again, if you dare! In case you didn't notice, my face turned pale, does that tell you I love her?!"

"Okay, fine! It doesn't! But, can't you just stop blaming me for everything? It's not like I told her we're fiancés on purpose! And besides, we can't keep the engagement a secret forever, now can we? Everyone's gonna find out sooner or later!"

"Don't you think I know that?! I didn't want you going around telling the whole world about it because I wanted to at least enjoy some privacy! I don't have enough already, and with this news leaking out, I won't even be able to have a life anymore…"

"You think you're the only one with the same problem? My situation's worse! They might kill me to get you!"

Suddenly, Kurama's features brightened up in a wide grin. "You know, that might not be such a bad thing…"

"Huh?!" Botan, shocked by his choice of words, cried out in half anger and half disbelieve. Why the little conniving asshole… "You freaking jerk, I swear to god I'll—" She cut herself shot when she realized something… off. Her wrath was instantly replaced by confusion and wonder, as the revelation hit her that something was… touching her leg…

She blinked. And then she looked down.

 **A**

 **Hand**

 **Was**

 **Grabbing**

 **Her**

 **Leg**

 **And**

 **It**

 **Didn't**

 **Have**

 **A**

 **Fucking**

 **Body**

"NOOOOOO!" she shrieked bloody murder, her screams rattling the walls.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 8**

"No, no, no, no, no, and _hell_ no!" Botan screamed, whilst she tried to kick the thing off of her in an attempt to break free from it. Her eyes shut tight, with tears threatening to leak out, and unconsciously her hands searched comfort from the nearest thing – which so happened to be Kurama's arm. She took a hold of the redhead, his startled cry going unnoticed by her.

Kurama expelled a deep sigh. If one looked closely enough, you could clearly see his left eyebrow twitching. He watched the girl's face turn paler and paler with each second, her cries for help becoming louder and louder, and her grip on his arm infuriatingly – or not – tightening and tightening. Seriously, it was just a hand! Albeit, there was nothing connecting it to a body, she didn't really have to react so freaked out like that. Scary or not—it was a prop, either way. And getting scared over a prop was stupid.

"Stop kicking your legs like that," he told her, "It's not going to get it off. You're just going to hurt someone." _Yeah, me, for example._ He added secretly in his thoughts.

For some reason, she actually listened to him, which took him a little off guard. She eventually halted her dangerous ministrations of kicking her legs in the air, her head snapped up to meet his gaze, her eyes tearing up, her cheeks tinted pink, and cute, audible sobs leaving her lips. The adorable sight nearly made his cheeks turn bright crimson, but he managed to collect his composure before they could. Good lord, who knew the woman could make such a face?

"B-b-but—" she stammered, but was unable to finish her sentence. She couldn't even string any perceivable words in her head, much less speak.

Sighing once again, Kurama scratched the back of his head and grumbled something incoherent under his breath, before bending down – Botan had released him – and staring at the hand clinging tightly to Botan's ankle; his face stoic and unreadable, lacking a great dose of fear. Suddenly, he reached his hands out and placed them on the thing, Botan gawking at his actions all the while. _I guess if I do this it'll work…_ he mused to himself as he pried the thing's fingers off of its life-gripping hold on her. Another tug or two, it eventually let go, and scurried away to a dark corner, never to be seen again.

"H-h-how did you…" Botan trailed off, still shocked and somewhat amazed at the redhead's success at driving the scary thing off – not that it was that scary, really, but she was a scaredy-cat, so even the simplest of things could frighten her and reduce her to tears.

Odd that for someone who was once considered a delinquent in her childhood, up till she reached the age of fourteen, she could be so… er, fragile.

Kurama shrugged his shoulders in response. "Meh. It wasn't that difficult, I just grabbed it and—"

"I know that!" came her indignant roar, irritated at him for pointing out the obvious. She might be easily scared, but she wasn't stupid!

He didn't respond, but regarded her with an arched eyebrow. Still, he said nothing and merely turned around and headed for the stairs. Botan yelped, the fear coming back to overwhelm her senses and she quickly ran up to him, once again taking the safe haven that was his arm in a vice-like grip. For a moment, she could have sworn she heard a heavy sigh from the redhead but he made no move to pull her away or tell her she was being inappropriate.

There were two; one with spider webs blocking the way, and the other one, for some odd reason… had nothing. Usually, he'd take the stairs covered with spider webs as the clear one seemed too suspicious, but he didn't really want to go through the dirty passage. After a moment of considering and weighting his pros and cons, Kurama shrugged it off, and went for the stairs with absolutely nothing blocking the way. It wasn't as if he knew which one was a trap, so might as well just go with his instincts… which really just told him not to get his clothes covered with spider webs.

Botan's hold was tightening and tightening again as they ascended up the stairs, but Kurama tried not to pay it too much attention. Although, that was considerably hard with her body pressed up against his elbow. It was times like these he wished he didn't have a stupid blush on his face.

As they stepped into the second floor, Kurama caught sight of something in the darkness. He squinted his eyes to get a closer view, eyes growing wide when he realized it was a door. Shifting his gaze to the girl, he pointed at the direction heading towards the door. "Hey, let's go that way, I think that's… what's wrong with you?" he asked, his brows creasing to form a deep frown as he stared at her countenance, which was contorted in fear and draining rapidly of color.

"T-t-t-that…" she stuttered, her voice shaky, and pointed her index finger at something behind him. His frown deepened, but he whipped around anyway – and there was a boy, probably still in his teens, with black hair and his head downcasted so low that the duo couldn't see his eyes. He sat on a wooden chair, and had a weird, eerie vibe.

" **Excuse me, but…** " the boy started, startling the two who hadn't expected to hear him speak. His voice, chilly and hoarse, sent a shiver down a now freaking out Botan's spine. Kurama, on the other hand, was exceptionally calm, " **… can you pick them up?** "

"Pick what up?" Kurama, finding nothing scary in this situation, bluntly inquired as if he was speaking to a person. Assuming that boy was a person, of course…

" **They're scattered over there…** " A pale arm shot up and the hand connected to it pointed a finger at a direction. Kurama and Botan turned to look at what the boy was pointing at, only to find nothing.

"What is?" the redhead continue to ask, not knowing it would be the worst mistake he ever made – well, not really, because what happened next didn't really affect him much.

Except for a certain blue-haired girl, that is.

" **My…** " The boy's head lifted, the slow motion making Botan gulp in fear. As they were finally able to see him fully, Botan's face drained of color, and her body froze. Kurama just stood there, staring and blinking.

Gaping at the boy, there was nothing staring back at them but two black holes at the size of eyeballs, and at where his eyes were supposed to be. Blood dripped from the holes and down the boy's chin, his mouth hanging open to let his absence of a wet appendage that was naturally in there show. " **EYEBALLS AND MY TONGUE!** " the boy gave a shrill cry—

—and Botan screamed bloody murder yet again.

Kurama, on the other hand, was still oddly composed as if he didn't just see the ghastly sight.

The girl made to flee for her life, and because her hands were still holding on to Kurama's arm, she ended up dragging him with her as well, as the boy, pushing his chair roughly back until it felled to the floor with a loud 'thud' sound, began to creepily chase after them.

In the end, they eventually found the exit, all the while Botan sprinted for survival, and Kurama was dragged through the whole ride.

Well, at least they got the stuffed bear, Kura-chan back, and two free meal coupons after they went through the whole ordeal, unscathed and totally not torn apart.

Well, except for Botan's pride, that is.

* * *

"That was scary…" Botan gave an audible hiccup, the tears stinging at the back of her eyes still evident from their last… well, 'fun adventure'. Shoulders slumped and back hunched, Botan walked in front of Kurama, who for some reason, was idly licking on a chocolate-flavored ice cream, with a vanilla one in his other hand.

"Was it _that_ scary?" he questioned, confused as to what was perceived as 'scary'. Really, it wasn't as if the whole thing was real or anything.

"Yes, it was!" Botan, feeling knives after knives rapidly get thrown at her tattered pride, cried out of frustration, as they found a bench and flopped down on it. The girl placed her Kura-chan on the ground, as there wasn't enough room for the stuffed animal on the wooden bench. And even if there was, she would be cramped against Kurama – and that was the last thing she wanted.

"Hmm…" was Kurama's only response, as he was more focused on his ice cream than the current subject.

The girl shot a death glare his way. "Why were _you_ calm through the whole thing, anyway?" she grudgingly asked.

"Because it wasn't scary," he answered without a second of hesitation, Botan feeling as if someone just threw an axe into her heart.

"Yes, it was!" she repeated, but sounding louder and more desperate this time.

The redhead ignored her. "Do you want your ice cream or not?" he asked instead, handing the vanilla treat at her. Botan continued to glower at him for a few moments, before snatching her ice cream out of his grasp and sounding a loud, exasperated and childish 'hmph!'.

"Are you sulking now?" he inquired the girl, who was licking at her ice cream, her cheeks puffed like a little kid. "You _are_ 22 years old, right?"

"What the hell does _that_ mean?!" she snapped at him.

Again, he ignored her and pointed her vanilla cold treat instead. She blinked at him, momentarily forgetting his offensive comment to stare at him in confusion. For some reason, there was a sly, lopsided grin etched to his lips, touching his emerald orbs with mischief.

"W-what?" she broke off the long, awkward silence that had occurred between them. From the looks of it, though, it was obvious he was up to something—

"By the way, Botan, you still like vanilla? As usual, your tastes are childish," he playfully remarked, grin broadening at the crimson blush that was now tinting her cheeks in half embarrassment and half anger.

"W-what was that?!" she stammered in chagrin, her blush darkening as he broke into a fit of chuckles at her reaction.

"Come to think of it," he started, with a devilish glint in his eyes, "you used to eat a lot of vanilla when you were a kid, too."

"Y-you don't have to remind me!" she went on, her embarrassment rising up her notch as well as her voice. She was faintly aware of the crowd giving her weird looks and the vanilla ice cream melting onto her skirt. "And why do you remember that, anyway?!"

"Because that's basically the only flavor you used to eat," came his immediate response, his tone monotous as usual. All the while Botan was screaming, Kurama was wolfing down his chocolate-flavored ice cream.

"T-that's not true! I liked strawberry and—"

"By the way, you've got something on your chin," he suddenly pointed out as he noticed the trail of vanilla on her chin, promptly cutting her sentence short.

Botan's eyes widened and her blush darkened once more at the prospect that she must have seemed ridiculous. "R-Really, where?"

"Like I said, it's on your ch—" He cut himself off as a revelation hit him like a ton of bricks: he could use this… A smirk slowly tugged at the corners of his lips, his eyes twinkling with irrepressible mischief. Discreetly closing the distance between him and the still confused girl, Kurama bent down to her ear. "Shall I wipe it for you?" he whispered, his hot breath fanning over her sensitive skin.

"W-w-w-wha?" Botan incoherently stammered, her eyes growing wider and her flushed face turning ten shades darker. "What are you—" Her words felled into silence, as a hand stealthily crept up her back to wrap around her waist, keeping her still. Speechless, Botan felt Kurama's warm fingers tighten their hold around her, as he pulled her closer to him, her shoulder pressed up against his chest. Her cheeks were so red, she could have sworn she looked like a tomato.

"Look at me," he suddenly said, and on instincts, she did, rotating her head to peer at him – but before she could react he abruptly pressed his lips at her jawline. Letting out a loud, startled whimper, the girl made to break free from his grasp, but to no avail, as instead of releasing her, he merely intensified his actions, trailing his hot mouth to her chin, his tongue darting out to teasingly form a track from her pointed chin and up and up… until it finally reached her mouth, licking away the vanilla stuck on her face. She could feel the lingering taste of vanilla on her lips, and too shocked with the sudden turn of events to properly respond, let him force the wet appendage into her cavern, exploring only for a few moments, before pulling out.

Botan felt him slowly let go of her, leaving her in a mesmerized state. She stared at him, her face so hot it almost felt like she was going to burst, and her mouth opened and closed repeatedly like a stupid fish, but no words came tumbling out. _What? W-w-w-what? What j-just happened?_

Kurama, amused by her reaction, couldn't resist the satisfied smirk that lifted up his lips. "Are you okay, Botan?" he inquired, his voice strangely low and husky, his words laced with seduction. She blinked dazedly at him for a few seconds, until finally, _finally_ … she regained her senses, and successfully registered what just occurred in her mind.

"Y-you-!" she started, feeling a strong raging anger and a stronger wave of humiliation overtake her senses. "Y-you disgusting pervert!" she cried.

Despite his less than appropriate actions earlier, Kurama pulled an innocent look, feigning ignorance as he said, "Why are you mad? I just helped wipe it off for you."

"B-but you didn't have to—you could've given me a handkerchief or something…" she mumbled under her breath, casting her eyes downwards to her lap in fear of meeting his gaze.

The bench creaked a little, and Botan could have sworn the redhead just moved an inch closer to her – if such a thing was even possible. And again, his mouth was hovering about her ear, his hot breaths sending a shiver down her spine. "I don't have a handkerchief," he whispered, his words normal, but his voice teasing.

"T-then, you should have let me wipe it away on my own! I'm not a kid anymore, I can take care of my—"

A chuckle. "You liked it, didn't you?"

"W-what? Of course, I didn't!" she stumbled with her words, placing one fist on the boy's chest and pushing him off of her. Kurama allowed her to shove him away, a smirk lingering on his lips. Her rosy cheeks reddened at the touch of mirth and amusement glinting in his pair of emeralds, as if he was having fun making fun of her. Unwilling to allow herself to take any second of this embarrassment, Botan then told him that she was going to the bathroom, vanilla ice cream forgotten and leaving Kura-chan in the redhead's care.

Botan grumbled something under her breath, Kurama's laughter following her as she left.

* * *

"What's up with that guy? I don't get him…" Botan mumbled grudgingly as she entered the girls' restroom, ignoring the weird stares she got from the other women inside – probably because she was talking to herself.

"More importantly, why am I always blushing whenever I'm with him?" she asked, voice laced with frustration, as she strolled for the sink. Opening the faucet, the girl washed her face with the water that came running out. She lifted her head and looked at the mirror. Her own reflection, cheeks bright red and warm, stared back at her. She placed one hand on her chest, the fast tempo of her beating heart making her flush deeper in the face. What was this feeling? Of course she knew, but she tried not to think of it.

 _Do I still like Shuichi?_ She asked herself, for some reason seeking for an answer from the Botan inside the mirror, but found none. Of course, that wasn't possible, was it? She'd forgotten her feelings for him years ago; they couldn't have surfaced back now. Could they? Normally, she wouldn't mind it if it was Kurama—or better yet, Shuichi—from the past she'd fallen with, but _this_ Kurama was… _different_. Unlike the old him, the kind, gentle and warm Shuichi, he was mean, cold and arrogant. Could she really love someone like him? _No. No way._

 _Well, then again. He's not that bad,_ she added in her musings, recalling that he was the one who had the tickets, agreed to bring her here, and even went as far as buying Kura-chan. And although he himself had told her that it wasn't a big deal, the fact that he still thought of her was touching enough. Sure, he was annoying, a bit of a pervert, and kind of temperamental at times, but maybe the guy had a nice side to him, after all. _Maybe, he's still the same Shuichi._

Closing the faucet, Botan realized that her blush had fully faded away and instantly heaved a sigh of relief. She didn't want to see him in a state of an embarrassed, flushing little girl, after all.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 9**

"That woman is still as weird as ever," Kurama said to no one in particular. By now, he had already finished his chocolate favored ice cream and his eyes were fixed on the melted vanilla substance lying on the ground. Botan had thrown it away – whether it was with her realization or not, he wasn't sure – when she'd told him she was going for the restroom. "Speaking of restrooms anyway, she sure is taking her time," he murmured, glancing around for any signs of the girl, only to find none. "What the hell is she doing? Applying makeup? Well, even if she was, not like I'll be attracted to her anyway," he went on, and shrugged his shoulders, a smug smirk playing on his lips. _Well, then again, she's hot even without any makeup, so it doesn't really matter—wait, stop, hold it right there. What on earth are you babbling about, Kurama?_ His smirk faltered, as he developed a faint blush on his cheeks. Trying not to think more of his crazy fiancé, Kurama focused on observing his surroundings. But, as he did, his flushed face suddenly returned to its normal color as he abruptly noticed something.

Among the midst of the large crowd of people in the park, there was a man, wearing a white mask and black sunglasses, standing with his back against a tree. The weird thing was that although his eyes were completely covered, Kurama felt as if he was staring at him with his head directed at his direction like that. And weirder still, the redhead had an irking and unnerving intuition that he actually recognized who it was.

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Kurama slowly got to his feet – his suspicions confirmed when the man panicked and made to flee. Although, due to the fact they weren't really that far from each other, and the redhead had grown to be sort of agile ever since he'd been friends with a certain black haired short man named Hiei, Kurama was able to catch up with him pretty fast, one arm shooting up to grab the stalker by the back of his collar.

He dragged the man towards the bench, and ignoring his protests, pleas for him to stop choking him (because he was tugging at his collar), and the weird stares he was receiving from the other people in the park, the red haired actor proceeded to sit on the wooden bench, fingers still clutching to the poor man whose face was already blue from the lack of oxygen.

"If you want me to let go of you," Kurama started, his voice ice cold, "Then, I suggest you tell me who you are, and why you're watching me."

The man parted his shaky lips, trying to speak up, only to choke and struggle with his words as Kurama pulled a little, the collar biting into the skin of his throat and cutting off any remnants of air in his lungs. "Need… to… brea… the…" he managed to croak out the words.

Kurama, realizing that he couldn't talk, finally released the man's collar, the latter entering a coughing fit, before taking greedy inhales of oxygen. He took a seat on the bench, and hunched his back, placing an elbow on his right thigh and burying his chin in his palm.

Heaving a sigh of relief, the suspicious stalker gulped audibly, one hand massaging his neck and the other fixing his disheveled collar as he turned to look at the redhead. Noticing the actor's menacing stare and the impatient tapping of his fingers against his chin, he quickly explained, "Y-your father asked me to watch over you in fear that you might ruin your date and I had no choice but to comply! I'm sorry, young master, I did not have a choice! He was threatening to fire me and—"

"Wait, Kisaragi?" Kurama exclaimed in surprised anger as he finally recognized the voice.

There was a long pause.

The man broke off the tense, uncomfortable silence as he cleared his throat. The redhead watched, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, as the man removed the black sunglasses hiding his eyes, revealing a pair of deep blue orbs, and the white mask, exposing his true identity. Kurama's jaws dropped as his suspicions were confirmed – staring back at him with a smile etched to his countenance, was his 34-years old butler, Kisaragi Hideki. Putting the obvious exposition aside, Kurama had already suspected it was him due to the purple hair, but hadn't _expected_ it to be him. Kisaragi was always following his orders, after all, and stalking his own master was the last thing the redhead thought the man would do and the redhead liked him a lot for that – although, of course, as usual his step father's orders were the first priority, but still…

Kurama took a hold of Kisaragi's collar, the latter sweatdropping as the former growled, "Kisaragi… do you really wish for an instant death?"

Despite his less than friendly words and his emerald orbs glaring daggers at him, Kisaragi was actually quite used to his young master's threats, having had them thrown at him a lot when he once was an inexperienced butler who just started working at the Minamino/Hatanaka household. However, staring back at the heated gaze Kurama was giving him, Kisaragi knew the redhead would actually kill him right then and there if he didn't justify the 'question' with an answer swiftly. Of course, in order to survive and live, the man did as he should be doing.

"No, young master, I do not," he responded, his voice calm, despite his panicky self. As the redhead's vice like grip tightened around him, Kisaragi couldn't help but wonder if this was a repetition of earlier events. Even so, it was clear that the master was displeased with something.

"Why the hell did my father send _you_ , anyway?" Kurama inquired, voice laced with fury and the bloodlust to murder somebody, as one of his eyebrows twitched in irritation.

"W-well, he did so because he thought that I'd be the last person you'd suspect."

"Is that so? Well, you could have done a good job if it wasn't for the obvious staring and your stupid purple hair." Kurama paused to roll his eyes. "And here I thought you could do anything…"

"Of course, I am not capable of everything, my lord. You are the one who have a great talent for nearly everything on earth."

"Yeah, I suppose you're correct. I _am_ quite talented, am I not? I did this thing I read from the internet a few days ago, and I managed to pull it off on my first try—wait a sec, flattery isn't going to save you. I'm going to fire you when this is all over."

"Please refrain yourself from doing so, Kurama-sama. I was only following orders, and your father might even destroy your career in an instant if you do. I have served you for a long time, after all, my lord, and he will not tolerate the disposing of a long-term servant who gives a great deal of service to the entire family," Kisaragi stated, a warm yet taunting grin tugging at the corners of his lips, as the actor's face scrunched up in discomfort.

"… Well, you're right in that case," Kurama relented half-heartedly, his eyes threatening to burn a hole into the butler's head with his now intensified death glare.

"If you do not mind, will you let me go now, Kurama-sama?" Kisaragi questioned, gesturing towards the hand gripping his collar. The redhead grumbled something incoherent under his breath, before releasing his hold on the older man.

Kurama shut his eyes tight in frustration and crossed his arms as he leaned back in the bench. "And? What's the old man afraid of, that I might drive her away?" he scoffed.

"Yes, I suppose so," Kisaragi replied, composedly fixing his collar… again.

"I would never do that, I am quite good in the practices of seduction, if you must know."

A chuckle. "Yes, I have no doubt in that, young master," he agreed, nodding his head. After all, no one could resist the charms of a young, hot and talented actor. Even so… "But, if I may, Kurama-sama?"

"Hmm?" said boy fluttered his eyelids open, regarding the butler with a questioning arched eyebrow. Judging by the serious expression contorted on Kisaragi's features, it seemed as if he had something to say. "What is it, Kisaragi?" he asked. In spite all those threats and disrespectful words, Kisaragi was the only one servant Kurama could allow to speak his mind. He'd grown to view the man as a brother of some sort… not that he would ever admit that.

"I do not think that it is a good idea to be… engaged in this whole deal," Kisaragi spoke slowly, fearing that the redhead would butcher him if he said the wrong words. Even so, it must be stated.

Kurama frowned, utterly confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The whole deal you made with Kazuya-sama about… winning Botan-san's affections to save your career," Kisaragi murmured, "I do not think that it is wise to play with a girl's heart."

The redhead, finally understanding where the older male was getting to, expelled a loud sigh of exasperation. "What's the big deal?" came his cold, nonchalant response as he waved a hand at Kisaragi in dismissive. "It's not like anyone's going to lose something. She gets a handsome, sought after actor as a husband, and I get to keep acting. It's a win-win for everyone."

"But, she will get her heart broken," Kisaragi blurted out the words, his expression serious and his voice determined. "She will be hurt if she finds out about this. She will be upset, disappointed and in a lot of emotional pain. She will hate you."

"… And? It's not like I care about what she thinks," Kurama murmured, although a part of him was unsure if he meant it.

Kisaragi stared at him wide-eyed in shock, before regaining his composure a moment later. But, his tone was deadly serious as he said, "To be honest, I do not know what kind of person Botan-san is. But, I have heard a lot of good things about her. I was told by your father that you were the happiest when you were friends with her, when you loved her. It is obvious you used to cherish her, and I wish that you still do, for your happiness, and for hers. It is fine if you still want to go on with this, as I do not have the right to meddle in your personal affair, even if I am your butler." He lowered his gaze, a bitter smile suddenly crossing his lips. "But, is it really alright for you to lose her again? For her to loathe you if she knows? Will you really not mind it?"

Ironically, he was already asking the questions Kurama dared not ask himself and dared not think about.

As if to convince his butler – and also himself – he repeated, "Like I said, I don't care about her."

Unbeknownst to both men, someone was watching the whole scene, listening in the entire conversation. And their hands curled into fists, their body shaking in hurt and anger.

* * *

Botan had been in the middle of buying a couple of soda cans for her and Kurama when she saw the latter throwing a fit at a man she didn't know. At first, she wanted to stop him due to the fear that he might do something he would regret and the attentions of several strangers fixed on the redhead – if one of them recognized him as an actor, his reputation would be tarnished if word about this spread out the entire city… or worse, the whole world – and she had been on the verge of running up to him… until she heard her betrothed mention his step father. What did Kazuya have to do with this? Curious, she had hid behind the vending machine nearby the bench Kurama was sitting on, her ears perking up to listen to the conversation. Further eavesdropping had her convinced that the redhead knew the man – in fact, he was Kurama's butler named Kisaragi who was on a spy mission under Kazuya's orders. Initially thinking to herself when he'd gotten a new butler, Botan merely had her chain of thoughts interrupted when Kisaragi spoke of a deal. A deal Kurama seemed to make with Kazuya…

"The whole deal you made with Kazuya-sama about… winning Botan-san's affections to save your career," As those words left Kisaragi's lips, Botan's eyes grew wide in utter shock. Wait, what? What was he talking about? Was that even true?

For some reason, she felt her chest constricted in unbearable pain, as if there was a snake coiling around her heart. Now she understood why Kurama had given her all those kind and sweet gestures… He didn't really care about her, he just wanted to save his own career! It didn't matter how _she_ would feel… Botan felt her world spiraling down as the thoughts echoed in her mind, the negative emotions whirling in her mind making her dizzy.

"But, is it really alright for you to lose her again? For her to loathe you if she knows? Will you really not mind it?"

"I don't care about her."

Those words, uttered out without any hesitation, came off exasperated as they resonated in the air and reached her ears. She was right… Kurama _really_ didn't care about her… As much as she had expected that much, hearing him say it felt so, so much worse, and before she realized it, tears were already falling down her cheeks. She cupped a hand to her mouth to prevent her sobs from leaving her, her back pressed flat against the vending machine. _No… I don't want this…_

A few more words were exchanged, but her ears had already blocked out the rest. She didn't want to hear of it anymore… but she knew she had to confront Kurama sooner or later. And when she did, she would demand some answers, a long explanation and the redhead apologizing to her while begging on his knees. So, she waited until the two were finished with their discussion, watched as Kisaragi bowed and left the actor alone, and hesitated only for a moment before coming out of her hiding spot.

By then, Kurama was playing with the stuffed toy, Kura-chan, raising its arms and talking to the inanimate object. For a brief second, Botan couldn't help but smile at the childish display, suddenly reminded of the old days when they used to play with the same toy during their childhood before shaking her head to brush off the memories, as if regaining her senses.

 _No, I can't let him soften me now! If I fall for his tricks, then I'd be the one to suffer._ She mused her expression turning serious as she walked up to the redhead.

"Oh, you're here. Where did you go?" Kurama asked as he caught sight of the girl, halting his ministrations to peer up at her. He blinked. For some reason… she had this enormous depth and sadness in her amethyst eyes… Did something happen? He pondered, strangely worried over her.

"Hey…" she started instead of answering his question, her voice oddly low and barely inaudible that he had to strain his ears to hear her.

"What?" he prodded, eyebrows creasing in confusion. What was up with her?

There was an audible gulp, as she slowly inquired, "… Is it true?" Her voice, passing her lips, sounded terrified, for whatever reason. Kurama, further bewildered by her weird behavior, deepened his frown. And why was she avoiding his gaze?

"What is?"

At his words, Botan finally shifted her eyes on the redhead. He stared back at her, confused, as she gaped at him, suddenly feeling her agitation mounting at his ignorant look. Furrowing her brows in frustrion, Botan heaved out a loud, exasperated sigh as she curled her hands into fists. This guy had the nerve of trampling on her feelings and pretending he was innocent.

 _I'll hit him._ A glare was shot at his direction. _And keep on hitting him._

"What?" Kurama repeated, taken off guard by her heated stare. "Why do you look so angry? Did I… Did I do something?"

"Yes!" came Botan's loud cry, further startling the redhead. He gazed wide eyed at her as she inhaled a deep, calming breath, and repeated, lower this time, "Yes, you did."

"W-what did I do?" he couldn't help but stammer.

"Don't play dumb with me, Minamino!" she growled in retort.

"Huh? What are you talking about? I haven't done anything wro—"

"Then, what was that whole thing about the stupid deal you made with your dad, huh?" she cut him off, her words causing him to shut his parted lips.

Oh.

 _Oh._

"How did you…." he trailed off, too shocked to finish his sentence. Did she…? There was only one way she could have found out, Kurama was aware.

She must have overheard the conversation he had with Kisaragi.

 _I shouldn't have talked to him about her!_ He cried out in his thoughts, guilt creeping up his skin. Although, the longer he stared at her, studying her as her eyes became teary, her cheeks turned pink and her teeth grinded on her lower lip, Kurama realized that that wasn't the case. Watching her right now, it hit him that the overwhelming regret overtaking his senses and making him sick in the stomach wasn't due to the fact he had been caught red-handed… but because he had actually hurt her.

Him: Kurama.

Hurt her: Botan.

As he took a moment to comprehend that single revelation in his head, Kurama felt a sudden surge of fear as he watched the tears eventually trail down her cheeks. _Oh, shit. Shit._

He stood up, and took a step forward towards her, his hand reaching out to touch her. "Botan…"

A pang of hurt stabbed at his chest as she stepped back, distancing herself from him, a look of disgust crossing her sorrowful features. "Don't touch me…" she sobbed, but her words were filled with a deep loathing. For him.

 _For him._

"I hate you," she uttered, her voice low but clear as it reached his ears. And all of a sudden, Kurama felt as if someone had stabbed a knife into his heart and twisted it around and around.

"Botan, wait!" he called as she turned and tried to run away, his arm shooting up to stop her. A sigh of relief escaped his lips, as he managed to grab her wrist, halting her half way in her tracks.

Botan let out a startled gasp as she felt Kurama tug at her wrist, and spun her around to face him, crushing her supple body flushed against the hard contours of his figure. She felt him release the grip he had around her hand, and made to shove him harshly away, but his arms, both of them, swiftly wrapped around her waist, the touch almost protective and gentle as he held her tightly but softly as if she was a precious doll. Her heart literally leapt, and for a moment, she nearly melted in his arms. But then, reality came back, slapping her hard in the face: he had played her. There was no way she could forgive him that easily.

She placed her fists on his hard chest, but no matter how hard she pushed or hit him, he refused to let go… until after what seemed like forever, she finally stopped, her arms falling limp to her sides. _It's not fair…_ A tear cascaded down her cheek. _Why can't I fight him? I'm so weak…_

"Let me go," she whispered, her voice hoarse but defiant.

"No," came his stubborn response, the single word erupting from his throat in a gentle yet firm whisper, "Never…"

"Why?" she cried, hating herself as her voice broke, "I hate you."

Botan felt Kurama flinch as those words left her, his arms instinctively tightening their hold around waist. The redhead took a deep, shaky breath, for a brief second, confused at himself for feeling… this. Whatever this was. But, for some reason, he couldn't brush it off; that fear-gripping thought of losing her again. Did he still… like her? Of course, he didn't… right? He pondered, only to cut short his musings as he felt her try to break free.

"Botan," Her name, passing his lips, sounded like it didn't belong to him as it reverberated in her ears. "I…" He gulped. "I'm s-sorry…" he eventually told her.

At this, Kurama felt her struggling coming to a sudden halt, as if she was taken by surprise at the abrupt apology. But, a moment later, her lithe form started to quiver against his, followed by the feeling of something wet pressed up against his shirt… Was she crying again?

His suspicions were confirmed when he heard soft, cute little hiccups erupting from the girl in his embrace.

He inwardly kicked himself in his shin.

"Why?" she repeated in between her sobs. "How could you do this to me?"

"Botan…" Shutting his eyes tight, Kurama buried his face in the crook of her neck, hearing her take a deep intake of breath as he did so. "I-I don't know. I just… Acting… Acting is something really important to me. And I was… I was afraid that I might lose it… I didn't want to, I-I couldn't think clearly..." he slowly explained, struggling to let out the right words. But, he wasn't sure if she understood. He wasn't good at talking about his feelings, having lived as one detached of emotions for years. But, with her… with her, it was just impossible to feel all this again… _Why?_

Silence engulfed them, and Kurama almost feared that she would somehow break free of his hug, run away, never return again and hate him forever. The imagery caused him to tighten his hold around her, their bodies pressed so hard against one another that it felt as if he was holding to dear life itself.

Botan was quiet, a soft gasp leaving her lips as she felt him deeper the embrace. A rosy blush crept up her cheeks at the gesture. Whether he did it on intentional or accident, Botan wasn't sure. But, she understood him. Understood his words. And although it was a bit messed up, she knew he had no choice.

"A-alright," After what felt like forever, she finally spoke, Kurama expelling a relieved sigh at this, "I-I get it… Can you let me go now?" she asked, despite a part of herself that didn't really want him to release her. But, she was well aware that he had to sooner or later. Besides, the other guests were rudely staring at them, she suddenly realized; some were whispering to each other – probably talking shit about them – some were blushing at the scene, whilst others just stood there watching emotionlessly.

Kurama, also finally noticing the stares, immediately let go, pulling apart from her and backing away with a bright crimson flush tinting his cheeks, "I-I… Sorry…" he stumbled over his words, and scratched the back of his head, all the while averting his gaze on anywhere but her face. Oh, god. That was so embarrassing. Why did he have to go and act all emotional over a girl anyway? Argh!

Botan was still blushing, albeit hers were lighter now, and she blinked, surprised to see him flustered. A gentle, warm smile touched her lips as she watched him avoid her gaze for a few more moments, before finally, he turned to look at her.

When her eyes met his, she could have sworn his blush became ten shades darker.

They continued to stare at each other, but neither of them spoke any words. Although, it didn't feel bad in any way… This moment… it felt kind of sweet… and dare she think it, a tad bit romantic…

But, it was soon interrupted by the cries of a bunch of girls.

"AH! There they are!"

"Kyaa! Kurama-sama!"

"That bitch! Who the hell does she think she is locking eyes with our Kurama-sama like that?"

"Yeah, how dare she even look at him?"

In the midst of probably a thousand shouting fan girls, one in particular stuck out in the duo's sight. There, standing right in the middle, looking as if she was a victorious leader leading a group of well-respected soldiers, was Yuko, the employee from the haunted house that they went to earlier. Her blue orbs shot a death glare at Botan, who formed a sweatdrop at the back of her head after seeing the heated stare. Oh, good lord… This wasn't going to be good…

"Chase 'em!" came Yuko's order, her loud shriek enough to almost rupture anyone's ears.

In one swift motion, Kurama took a hold on an un-expecting Botan's arm, tugging her along as they ran, fleeing from the group of rabid fan girls chasing after them.

* * *

"Seriously, how did you get into this situation?" Kuronue asked, as Kurama gently laid a slumbering Botan in the back seat, before entering the car and sitting beside her, as he shut the door.

Starting the car, Kuronue glanced at his friend from the mirror, eyeing the redhead's tired expression, messy hair and disheveled clothes, the three buttons on top of his shirt unbuttoned due to the buttons flying off during Kurama's previous struggle of escaping out of a fan girl's death grip. He started to drive, turning the radio on – although, he was careful to lower the volume before he did so as to not wake up the sleeping girl.

Kurama had called Kuronue after having barely survived through the whole ordeal, asking him to pick him and his fiancé up. The former didn't give much of an explanation, so at first, the latter figured that perhaps somehow, somewhat, in a one out of a hundred percent chance, his best friend actually planned for him to meet his bride-to-be. But of course, that was only wishful thinking, and it hadn't been the case. When Kuronue arrived at the park, Botan had been blissfully asleep as Kurama cradled her in his arms. Kuronue would have thought that the image of his mean best friend carrying a girl as if she was a damsel in distress was worth it dying out of laughing too much, but he had been too busy gawking at Kurama's appearance to had noticed.

"Don't ask," Kurama answered, his voice soft but firm, serving as a fair warning not to speak more of the matter that was constantly a thorn at his side. Really, he would have killed his groupies off one by one if it wasn't for the fact that he actually didn't want to lose them. After all, his popularity depended on them, and he couldn't afford to do anything to do. _Perhaps in another life, I can stab them to death_ , he thought evilly, a cynical smirk crossing his lips.

Kuronue ignored the sadistic smirk on Kurama's face, brushing it off as his friend having more morbid thoughts of his fan girls – as usual. "How is she?" he inquired instead, gesturing towards the girl with a tilt of his head.

Kurama parted his lips to respond, only to tug them down into a thin line as Botan's head accidentally felled on his shoulder. How could she be asleep after everything they went through? _He_ wasn't sure if he could even sleep with peacefully tonight after what happened. Heaving a mental sigh, Kurama decided he had no choice but to let her off the hook this time.

"She's alright, I suppose," he replied, shrugging his shoulder lightly, his emerald irises focused on something outside the window. "She's been through a lot, but she's a patient girl. I think she'll be fine when she wakes up."

Kuronue arched an eyebrow at him, unsure to be amused or confused by the redhead's words. "No, I don't mean it like that," he said, watching as his friend frowned at him in bewilderment.

"Then, what the hell are you talking about?" He wasn't sure if Kurama was merely exhausted from the day's events or if he was genuinely pissed at him – to which he doubted because he didn't do anything wrong – but he could have sworn the redhead just snapped at him.

"Uh, well," he hesitated for a moment, "I mean, like, how _is_ she?" At the still baffled stare of Kurama, Kuronue decided he needed to elaborate more. "Is she great? As a fiancé, I mean."

A pause. "Oh." Kurama seemed thoughtful for a moment, seeming as if he was actually contemplating his response. Sparing a brief glance at Botan before returning his gaze back to the window, Kurama gave another light of his shoulder. "No clue," came his short reply.

Kuronue couldn't resist the urge to frown. "What? Why? How can you still not have a clue about her after spending the whole day with her?" he asked in half awe and half befuddlement.

A heated glare was shot at his direction, and although he couldn't quite see it, for a moment, Kuronue thought he just made a reservation for a ticket for death.

"Fine, I'll drop it," he relented, albeit reluctantly, expelling a deep sigh as Kurama's mouth tugged upwards into a satisfied, lopsided grin. Seriously. He could never have his way with Kurama… well, except for when he and Hiei teased him, of course. "By the way, how come you didn't ask Hiei to pick you up?" he questioned, as he was reminded of his other best friend.

Kurama snorted. "Are you kidding me? He'd have my throat rip out with his bare hands, dismember my limbs one by one, and throw me into a goddamn river before he'd let me disturb his sleep. You know how he is."

Kuronue contemplated his words for a moment. "Yeah, you're right. And he'll probably kill me as well for even putting that idea into consideration."

"Exactly," the redhead retorted bluntly.

Silence engulfed the two, only the sound of an actress singing a song they weren't quite familiar with, but listened to anyway, echoing in the car. Kuronue observed quietly from the mirror as his friend reached out and tucked a strand of Botan's blue hair at her ear, before pulling away. For a brief second – because it was brief and only for a second – Kuronue could have sworn he saw Kurama lovingly smiled at the girl, his features gentle and affectionate, but it was gone as swift as it came as the latter pulled his hand away.

All of a sudden, Hiei's words resonated in the recesses of his mind.

 _"_ _In my opinion, he still likes her."_

Perhaps, those words were true. Perhaps, Kurama still _did_ like her. But, how would Hiei know that? He could never tell. But, putting that aside, if the redhead did have feelings for her, why would he be so antagonized towards her in the first place? From what he had heard from the redhead everytime he spoke of her and their past together, his voice would always be filled with anger and exasperation and his words, hurtful and spiteful, causing Kuronue to assume his friend hated Botan. But now, watching him be so warm towards her, Kuronue couldn't help but rethink his opinion of Kurama's feelings for her. Looking at the two together, Kuronue could see that they fitted well with each other – even after seven years of separation, the duo seemed so… well, in harmony with one another. Maybe it was due to their long friendship and the fact that she was his first love, and him, hers, but Kuronue would never know. What history they shared together, Kuronue would never tell for sure. His friend was good at keeping secrets, and better at hiding the truth. Musing over everything he'd observed up until now, Kuronue could only conclude that perhaps the redhead was still in love with her, but didn't realize that he was. And even if he did, Kuronue wasn't even sure if Kurama would openly admit it. If he used to love her since they were kids until they were sixteen, and never told her about it, why would he now? But, then again, Kuronue found himself wishing that Kurama would.

It would be great to see his friend collared, and leashed by a woman, after all. And it would also be great to see him happy. But mostly, collared and leashed.

Kuronue inwardly chuckled. Or so he thought. He hadn't realized he had let out his chuckle out loud, the sound reaching Kurama's ears.

"I'll have you know that if you don't stop that giggling and keep your eyes on the road and off of Botan and I, I _will_ fire you," the redhead declared.

Kuronue sputtered, and cursed under his breath as Kurama broke into a fit of laughter.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 10**

"So, B, how was your date?"

Botan looked up from the magazine she was reading to find Shizuru gazing questioningly at her. Yukina and Keiko vainly attempted to arrange a few boxes (as to what the contents were, Botan didn't know and quite frankly, didn't care), pretending to be focused on their job as they casted a sneaky glance at her, curious as well. It was a slow day, for some reason, and the girls found themselves having some time to freely converse without having to deal with angry customers like last time.

Suddenly, the memory of Kurama hugging her and apologizing to her flashed in her mind, causing her face to heat up. "Oh, um, okay…" she murmured softly, trying to hide her blush by covering her features with the magazine.

Unfortunately, the other three noticed. Shizuru's mouth slowly formed a sly grin, and Keiko held back a giggle as Yukina openly smiled.

"Oh-ho? And what happened?" Shizuru asked, her voice teasing as she leaned in closer to the blue haired girl, wrapping one arm around her shoulders.

"Um…" Botan tried to speak, but failed. Under her friends' unwavering gazes and mischievous vibes, she could only blush darker and sputter with her words. "U-uh, nothing m-much…"

"Really?" Keiko's voice chimed in, sounding a little too friendly for Botan's taste. She leaned in closer as well, giving the latter a cheeky grin. "Then, why is your face so red? Something _must_ have happened, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Yukina blurted out, and Botan couldn't help but inwardly cry to herself. Argh, Yukina was the last person she wanted to tease her about this! "Mind telling us the details, Botan-chan?" she probed, her lips curling into that gentle but scary smile that meant she was up to something.

 _Yeah, well, except for the fact I found out about Kurama's deal with Kazuya-san and that he hugged me in public, and we got chased by crazy fangirls, and I felled asleep with my head on his shoulder, and woke up to see him wrapping his strong—okay, stop—anyway, wrapping an arm around my waist, nothing much really happened, alright_ , Botan rambled in her mind, but she was well aware that she couldn't very much tell her friends about it. Who knows how many questions they would bombard her with? And although she would usually tell them everything, _this_ story was too embarrassing to tell.

"N-no, nothing happened, really!" she stammered, further burying her face into the magazine. Argh! Why was she acting like this? Now they would be more suspicious!

As if on cue, Shizuru, Yukina and Keiko looked at her weirdly, as if wondering what she was hiding. Really, she must have seemed as if she was a simpering school girl with the dark crimson blush coloring her cheeks. Her face felt so hot she thought it would explode with all the blood rushing through her head. Fortunately, Koenma came in time before the other girls could ask her anymore questions.

"Hey, have you guys watched the TV?" The brown-haired manager, Koenma Daioh, stepped towards the girls with a hand rubbing a handkerchief on his sweaty countenance. It seemed as if he had been doing some rough jobs, but the girls didn't bother to ask.

"Nope, is something interesting in the news or something, Ko-chan?" Shizuru answered casually.

Among the four, she and Botan knew Koenma the longest, but Shizuru had been a friend of his since they were as young as infants due to their families being best friends with one another, so she was the only one who dared to speak to him like that – although, Botan also suspected it had something to do with her brash and unabashed attitude.

Koenma shot her a menacing death glare, hoping to see the woman cower in fear, only to grumble something under his breath as she merely grinned at him in return. Throwing the handkerchief on the counter, Koenma finally responded, "Yeah, there's something, alright," his tone agitated, but Botan could have sworn he casted her a brief glance.

She blinked, wondering what the odd look was about.

Her question was answered a moment later, as Koenma grabbed the TV remote from the counter, and pressing a button, switched the machinery on. He skipped a few boring, uninteresting channels, before stopping at one.

" _Fans worldwide are going berserk after rumors of the famous Shuichi Minamino, or better known as his stage name Kurama, the best and hottest young actor of the year, having a fiancé spread throughout the whole country—_ "

Botan quickly snatched the remote, her movements similar to that of a lightning bolt. A bright rosy blush crept up her cheeks, and she stumbled over the buttons, attempting to change the channel, whilst trying to ignore the amused smirk lifting up her friends' lips. But, the only thing she got was:

" _Kurama—_ "

" _Shuichi "Kurama" Minamino's engagement—_ "

The girl threw the remote to the floor out of pure frustration, her blush deepening in both embarrassment and wrath as she indignantly roared, "Why the hell is there only news about him?! Is the whole world obsessed with him or something?"

Shizuru calmly reached for the remote, bending down to pick it up and proceeded to ignore Koenma who was yelling out some incoherent sentences about his precious remote.

"Seems so," she replied in a nonchalant manner, and shrugged off her shoulders, as she pressed a few more buttons. More news about the red-haired actor echoed in the store, Botan growing more and more exasperated with each passing second and each channel that was speaking of Kurama. Really, did this people have nothing better to do than to report about a person's love life?! Actor or not, hot or not, this amount of people throwing a big fuss over her fiancé was abnormal. Was he even human to attract all this attention?

All of a sudden, Shizuru halted at one channel, and the others listened with interest – even Koenma who stopped throwing his tantrum to hear more. Botan, on the other hand, was trying very hard to block out the sounds coming from the television.

" _We have recently done an interview with Kurama-san's step-father, Kazuya Hatanaka, about the rumors. The owner of the infamous and successful toy company, Hatanaka Holdings, had testified that they are true. Does this mean what we all think it means? Is this it for the dreaming fan girls? Is the young actor, Kurama-san, finally fully out of reach? Fan girls – and fan boys – worldwide are in a state of utter chaos; some are fleeing to temples to pray that this isn't the case, some have entered a mature resignation and has begun to accept that Kurama-san is no longer available, while others continue to cry, wail and wallow in self-pity and despair as they refuse to accept the blatant truth and face reality. However, no one can deny what is truly happening, that this is not just a nightmare or a hallucination, and nothing but the truth—_

 _Shuichi Minamino, or Kurama, is from today onwards engaged to Botan Fukuyama, a salesgirl working at Kanameki Sto—_ "

"Why the hell did they reveal your/my name and the location of our work place? Those freaking idiots!" Koenma and Botan cried out in unison as they pointed their index fingers accusingly at the television screen. Whatever was said after that from the news lady, was promptly ended as Shizuru switched the machinery off.

"Well, let's be honest, on the bright side, our store is famous now!" she jested, a laugh erupting from her throat. "And since business is kinda slow these days, this is a good thing! Right, Koenma?" she asked the brown-haired manager who had his shoulders slumped in utter despair, and proceeded to pat him on his back, her laughter growing obnoxiously louder.

"As if!" Koenma hissed, slapping her hand away. "My store will be reduced to rubble!"

Shizuru creased her eyebrows in confusion. "Why the heck are you angry at me?" she asked, before dully stating, "Botan's the one who got engaged."

"Then, are you blaming me?!" roared said girl in irritation. Oh, good gods! She was going insane, and was bordering on pulling her hair out of their roots.

Keiko and Yukina, being the calmest in the group, could only sweatdrop as their three friends started to argue with one another about who was right and who was wrong, their bickering ending up growing making less and less sense with each sentence.

"W-well, at least, we know the fan girls wouldn't come after you now, Botan! They're too busy running to temples, and crying over Kurama-san to care!" Keiko spoke in an awkward and nervous tone in an attempt to ease the tension, another sweatdrop appearing at the back of her forehead as her best friend shot her a half glare and half incredulous stare.

"Are you serious, Keiko? Do you really believe that? Now that they know where I am, the only thing they're gonna do is flood this place and attempt murder on me!" Botan exclaimed in a mixture of fear and annoyance. A shiver went down her spine as she thought of the prospect of rabid, pissed off fan girls plotting her death – most likely in the slowest and most painful ways.

As if on cue, the ear-rupturing sound of screams – to which all of them were tainted with pure bloodlust and complete and utter wrath – echoed outside, somewhere nearby the store. Just as Koenma and the girls turned their heads to peer at what caused the noise, their eyes widened in shock as they caught side of a group of fan girls, all seeming very ticked off and unsatisfied, running for their store. Koenma's face drained in color at the realization of the fact he might lose his precious store under the hands of crazy groupies, whilst Botan's soul, by now, had left her body due to the overwhelming shock.

Oh, but not literally, of course.

However, just as the insane fan girls were seven meters from the entrance, a car – or more precisely, a shiny black limo – came out of nowhere, speeding on the road and halting in front the store, fortunately blocking the groupies only way of entering the poor store. Botan's soul drifted back into her body, and Koenma's countenance regained its normal color at the sudden appearance. Confused, the young manager and his salesgirls could only watch as the door opened, and out stepped a long, black-pants covered leg, before out popped its owner – dressed in a dark turtleneck shirt, a pair of brown men boots, stood proudly a certain red-haired young man, his crimson mane pulled up in a messy ponytail. His black sunglasses felled a little over his nose, revealing his deep, piercing emerald irises, before he shifted them back into place. As instantly as he exited the car and shut the door close behind him, the group of fan girls started bawling and gushing at the same time, simultaneously crying over the fact that he no longer belonged to them – not that he ever was – and screaming over his oozing hotness.

Botan stood inside the store, her jaws wide open as she watched Kurama fix the top of his turtleneck shirt, and knocked once at the driver's window, as if gesturing for the other person to come out. Her friends were, for whatever reason, clapping at the grand entrance and congratulating her for catching such a magnificent man. Really, all it took was for him to step out a car to be considered something as magnificent? Really, the guy was so charming even his presence seemed to put people in utter awe.

Except for her, of course. No way was she awed by his handsome features. No, no, of course not. She was not drooling over him. No, of course not. The thought was simply unthinkable, preposterous and hilarious. Of course not… not at those long, strong legs… or those strong biceps, and muscles flexing… and most certainly, not his wet, plump and totally kissable lips… ones, dare she say it, that she had kissed once before…

 _Okay, whoa. Stop, Botan. You sound like such a pervert_ , she reprimanded herself in her thoughts as another crimson shade infuriatingly found its way to her cheeks. Fortunately for her, Kurama was too busy discussing something with a man, a black-haired lad wearing a hat – for some odd reason – that had exited from the driver's seat. In an instant, she could recognized him as Kuronue, Kurama's bodyguard and most importantly, the one who had sent her and Kurama home last night. _I should thank him sometime_ , Botan mused to herself, momentarily forgetting about the presence of her betrothed outside her work place…

… until he opened the door, and entered.

Botan felt as if her soul was on the verge of leaving her body again, but she swiftly regained her composure. For some reason, seeing him at the store caught her by surprise and amazement all over again. It wasn't as if this was the first time he'd been here, though, so it was odd to feel all self-conscious and flustered over this… this simple visit or whatever it was he was planning.

She eyed Kurama as he slid his hands into his pockets, coolly nodding his head towards Koenma and her girl friends. For once, Botan was caught off guard by the fact he _could_ actually be a bit respectful and acknowledging – albeit, not all the time, and obviously, only when he was in the mood or felt the need to.

Her blush darkened as his gaze abruptly settled on her form, his deep stare seeming to bore into her soul as he gaped at her, but said nothing. He continued to fix his eyes on her for a few more seconds, before averting them towards Koenma.

"Forgive me for intruding," he informed, making a graceful bow of apology, and further bewildering Botan who was pondering who the Kurama standing before her was. Apparently, he also had the weird ability of changing his personality when he wanted to.

Koenma, who was still contemplating the fact that the young redheaded actor whom everyone seemed to worship was actually standing in his store, could only nod mutely in response. "O-okay, sure…"

"It's alright," Shizuru, who was more relaxed than anyone in the group –minus Kurama– blurted out, breaking into a fit of laughter. But, for a brief moment, Botan could have sworn her friend spared a fleeting glance over Kurama's shoulder – and right at a certain man with long, black hair, who was calming down the long line (wait, they formed a line?) of angry fan girls. Oh, right. She had a crush on Kuronue.

Kurama, having noticed the older woman's sneaky glance at his best friend, couldn't stifle the light smirk that curved at the corners of his lips. Despite his amusement, he curtly uttered, "And I also apologize for my fan girls… who nearly barged in to your lovely store." Botan almost snorted at the last couple of words, but immediately held back. Wasn't he the one who told her that her work place was a shabby spot? "But, please. Do not be disheartened. In due time, this will all pass. Besides, it is not like they will not know, sooner or later. This news was bound to be broadcasted in public, anyway, so we are simply experiencing the inevitable," he elaborated in a professional-like manner.

Keiko nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, that's true. This was going to happen, anyway, so might as well just deal with it right now."

"By the way, Kurama-san?" Yukina's soft voice suddenly chimed in, and the sea-green haired girl gave the redhead a polite, gentle smile as he regarded her with a questioning gaze.

"What is it?"

"How is my brother doing?" she asked.

Kurama blinked, confused. "Brother? Who are you talking about, if I may ask?" he inquired, instead of answering her question. Although, judging by her appearance, Kurama could only guess what person…

"My brother, Hiei," Yukina told him, her smile broadening a little at her brother's name passed her lips.

"Oh, Hiei?" Kurama grinned. Jackpot. "He is doing just great. He is a wonderful manager, albeit a bit temperamental sometimes."

 _You're one to talk!_ Botan cried in her thoughts, but dared not voice them out, lest she'd find herself buried deep under the ground by the redhead.

Yukina giggled at his words. "I see…" As expected of her brother. Even so, it was good and a relieving thought knowing that he was alright.

"And you are Yukina, I presume?" Kurama questioned, wanting to confirm his suspicions. At the girl's small nod, his grin broadened ever so slightly. No wonder Hiei was throwing a fit and cursing at his fiancé – and him, too, of course – on the way to her work place; he must have been irritated at the prospect of his precious little sister being harassed by a bunch of fan girls, and most probably blamed Botan and himself for the whole thing. Ah, what a protective big brother his best friend was.

This would surely be a great subject to poke fun at Hiei for.

"Can I see him?" Yukina abruptly inquired, her eyes wide and hopeful.

Kurama's grin wavered a little. "I am terribly sorry, Yukina-san, but I afraid not. He is quite busy lately, so I do not think he have the time, especially not now. But, I am sure he would be overjoyed to meet you again, so please be sure to call him and tell him that. Since he is going to be mostly at Osaka due to the fact I am living here now, so you can see him anytime you like," he told her, giving the small girl a sympathetic smile.

Fortunately, Yukina understood. Of course, her brother had a life and a career. And managing an actor was difficult than it would seem, so a part of her had actually expected that kind of response.

"I understand."

Watching the girl calmly accept his answer, Kurama inwardly expelled a sigh of relief. He nearly feared for his life: Hiei would definitely have him killed and chopped into a million pieces if he were to make his sister cry. A thought suddenly occurred to him, reminding him of the reason he first came to this place – other than stopping Botan from being devoured by a bunch of fan girls, of course.

"Speaking of which, is it okay if I borrow Botan for a bit?" he asked the others, and gained a few baffled stares in return.

"Why?" Shizuru inquired, tilting her head to the side.

"There is an interview she and I must attend at the moment," Kurama answered, Botan crying out a loud 'What?!' in shock and her friends giving out "oooh"s of amazement.

"I see. It must be to talk about your engagement, huh?" Koenma guessed, though he suspected that was the case. _After all, who would want to interview my bubbly salesgirl, anyway? As pretty as she is, she is no celebrity._ He mused, nodding to himself.

Kurama nodded his head as a yes. "Then, I will take my leave now. I apologize for the inconvenience." He turned to peer at his blue haired girl fiancé, who was panicking and stumbling over some words. He seemed oddly calm and collected as he grabbed her hand in his, Botan too absorbed in the thought of having to be interviewed to notice and blush as she usually did, as he began to pull her along.

"W-wait-!" she tried to say, only to find herself to do so with the overwhelming shock in her system.

"Let's go, dearest," Kurama said, his voice oddly sweet, with a dangerously menacing edge to it, as if warning her not to back out and leaving her no choice but to comply. Was this interview _that_ important to him? She watched, dumbfounded, as Kurama waved a hand at her friends in goodbye, before proceeding to drag her out of the door. She distinctively heard the fan girls yelling at her in anger, but could barely care, as she was more preoccupied with the goddamn interview to care.

Oh, why were the heavens so cruel?

Kurama seemed strangely impatient to get all of this over with as he opened the door, and gently pushed her inside.

Botan, on the other hand, was on the verge of freaking out.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 11**

"Why do I have to do this…" Botan mumbled in a grudging tone, as she was pushed into the car. Her heart was thumping so fast and loud that she almost worried it would burst out of her chest, and her hand had also gotten ice cold and her palms sweaty as the nervousness over flooded her system. What was she going to do? Would she mess up? She couldn't, now could she? But, what if she said something and embarrassed herself? Good lord, so many questions and all of them made her want to scurry out the car and flee to her save haven that was the store.

She was so busy trying to calm her screaming nerves to notice the gravity-defying black-haired man sitting closely beside her and eyeing her with a glare that seemed to threaten to burn a hole into her head.

"Please stop glowering at her, Hiei," Kurama's smooth voice ordered him firmly, and he shifted his heated stare towards the redhead still standing outside the door.

At the sound of his voice, Botan snapped out of her reverie, and blinked a few times, before slowly lowering her gaze to Hiei. The short man noticed her eyes fixed on him, and almost as instantly, fixed his death glare back on her form. Botan sweatdropped, inwardly wondering if she did anything wrong.

Kurama heaved a deep sigh, shaking his head, before proceeding peer at Kuronue. "And so, I'll leave all this mess to you, okay, Kuro?" he ordered more than asked, seeming to leave Kuronue no means of escaping his hellish job.

Kuronue's mouth tugged down into a deep scowl. "I don't have much of a choice anyway," he grumbled under his breath, his scowl deepening as Kurama let out an annoying laugh meant to irk him more.

"Relax. After myself, _you're_ one of the hottest guys in all of Japan, so don't worry, these girls won't do anything to you," the redhead told him, and Kuronue couldn't tell if he genuinely meant that or if he was just being playful, with the serious but kidding tone in his voice.

"Sure, yeah, I'll just seduce them and hopefully, they'll leave me alone," came Kuronue's sarcastic response. Watching Kurama not bothering to justify him with a reply, Kuronue expelled a loud, exasperated sigh before rotating his head to the probably thousands of fan girls, all glaring at him. One of the hottest guys in all of Japan, huh? These girls looked like they were ready to rip his throat out!

"Why are you getting in the way between us and our beloved Kurama-sama?" one fan girl cried out in indignant, hands curling into a fist and threateningly extended at Kuronue's face.

The black-haired man stepped back a little, unsure how to take this. And what was with the "our beloved Kurama-sama"? Were these girls _that_ delusional? Kurama would never even look at them! At least, not with them being crazy all the time, he wasn't.

"Please calm down, ma'am, you're acting loopy," he attempted to sound calm, "You look like you're going to pop a vein." If his first slip up at calling a pissed off girl 'loopy' didn't make it seem as if he was wishing for an instant death, the second sentence certainly did.

"Huh?! Do you want to die, you bastard?" the same female growled, a finger pointed accusingly his way. For some reason, the other fan girls behind her seemed to be furious at him for his rude remarks as well, something he couldn't quite interpret.

With all their obsession with having Kurama to themselves, Kuronue figured that they would be on a not so friendly relationship with each other, attempting to kill one another to get to their so-called 'beloved' who didn't even bother to spare them a fleeting glance and spent most of his time cursing each of them to death. But, it seemed as if he was wrong. They looked oddly protective over one of their own, as if they were all a big family – a big, messed up family. Perhaps Kurama's little engagement with Botan had reunited his bickering fan girls? Of course, it did. After all, plotting the death of someone you didn't really know over a guy was a hard duty for one person, right?

"You girls need to get your mind out of the gutter!" a feminine voice roared angrily in the midst of the crowd, her words the first spoken sentence of spite towards the fan girls and not the young actor's fiancé.

"Huh?! Who said that? I'm gonna fucking kill you!" another fan girl shouted back, her tone venomous as she glanced around to see who it was who dared to speak that way.

Kuronue sweatdropped.

"Not all of us are here to be one of you crazy dumbasses!" another anonymous voice yelled, her tone as venomous as the one before. "We're here to get the stuff we want to buy from this store! Not deal with your stupid shit all day!"

"Yeah, as if Kurama-san's ever going to look at you! Just get out of the way and leave! We're in a hurry, you know!"

A menacing and life-threatening mouth war quickly escalated into a full blown cat fight as more words were exchanged. Kuronue continued to sweatdrop more as he watched the morbid scene unfold in front of his very own pair of eyes. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that apparently in the midst of 'totally lost their minds' Kurama fan girls, were also those who were merely poor customers tangled in the whole mess.

Well, at least, their murderous intentions were not all focused on him now.

Kurama was blissfully ignoring the fights occurring, as he placed a hand on the door of the car, and fixated his gaze on Hiei. "Hey, do you think you can drive us to the interview? Kuronue's sort of…" He paused, sparing a brief glance at his said friend and his attempts at calming down the raging crowd of women yelling and fist-fighting each other, before averting his eyes back to Hiei's form, "… preoccupied."

"I noticed," Hiei responded tartly, but did as he was told. Botan shifted to his spot, as he left the back seat and proceeded to close the door, and head for the driver's seat. Kurama entered as the girl shifted, shutting the door close as he heaved a deep breath.

"Ah, I'm so glad I don't have to deal with them," he muttered, casting a terrified glance at his fan girls – and apparently, also a bunch of other unrelated women slash customers of the store.

"I feel sorry for Kuro," Hiei stated in a dry tone, as he slid the door open and entered the car. Starting the transportation, Hiei went on, "He's always the one taking care of your shit."

"Oh? What's this?" Kurama quirked one eyebrow at him, a cheeky grin lifting up the corners of his lips, "Is the infamous Hiei expressing sympathy for someone else? I didn't think you were capable of such," he playfully remarked, his grin widening as Hiei began to throw curses at him.

Botan felt her stomach doing a somersault as the car started to move, driving off and away from her sanctuary. _Ugh. I don't want to do this._

"What's wrong?" Kurama inquired curiously as his laughter faded into thin air, and noticed the girl's rather pale face. "You look unwell."

"Huh?" came Botan's stupid response. She wasn't sure what, but she was becoming less and less aware of her surroundings and what people were saying to her. Perhaps it was the nerves.

Red eyebrows creased to form a deep, confused frown. "I asked you what's wrong," he repeated.

"O-oh." _Right, stupid me._ "I-I'm fine, nothing's wrong," she tried to calmly say, but her efforts were fruitless as she stammered instead, her high-pitched voice giving away her bluff.

He narrowed his eyes at her the way he always would when suspicion started to fill his mind. "As always, you suck at lying," he remarked simply, before leaning closer to the girl, nearing in proximity until their noses were almost brushing. He looked deep into her eyes, his gaze smoldering and soul-searching, as if he was seeking for an answer from the depth of her amethysts. "You'd better tell me now, or else you'll regret it… What's wrong?" he repeated yet again, his voice firmer but a tad bit soft this time.

Botan bit the inside of her cheek, contemplating his words and whether or not she should tell him. Would he make fun of her if she did? That was the last thing she wanted after having nearly experienced death in the hands of thousands of fan girls and forced to participate in an interview that she had no clue of and not informed of in any way. If she knew, maybe she had some time to prepare herself…

She remained unresponsive for a longer amount of time, but as he grabbed her hand, his fingers lightly squeezing hers in a fair warning, Botan quickly blurted out, "Fine, fine! I'm nervous, okay?" in a loud, embarrassed cry.

For a moment, her betrothed felled silent, his expression unreadable as he gaped at her, and the girl suddenly felt more embarrassed under his unwavering gaze.

"Oh," was his only response as he broke off the uncomfortable silence. Inwardly, he recalled that she had always been the timid type, despite being an easily warmed up, talkative and perky woman that she was. Perhaps it was something she inherited from her mother, but she had always been a little self-conscious and nervous about having conversations with total strangers and having to speak in front of an audience. Cold feet sounded more like it. "Relax," he attempted to soothe her nerves, "They're not going to bite you."

"Hard," Hiei, who had remained quiet the entire time, suddenly interrupted, a smirk touching his lips as he saw Kurama shoot a death glare at him and Botan's face drained of any color.

"Don't listen to him, Hiei's a bit of an asshole," Kurama told her, ignoring Hiei's heated stare as the last word left his lips. Taking her tender hand in his, Kurama mentally noted to himself that it was quivering and ice cold. His expressions softened. "Just relax," he repeated once more, his voice gentle in a way Botan had only heard him use with his mother and countless times with her in the past. The girl tried not to blush like a tomato as she felt him run his fingers soothingly over hers, the simple gesture calming her and causing her nerves to run amok at the same time. But, it didn't feel like a bad thing, and a contented sigh involuntarily escaped her lips.

Kurama's fingers halted their ministrations for a brief second upon hearing her sigh, a pink tinge developing on his cheeks at the sound. Was he making her feel good? For some reason, he felt his heart swell with joy and male pride at the prospect, and before realizing it, he brought her fingers to his lips, placing soft, open mouthed kisses on the long, slender appendages. It wasn't until his tongue darted out, running across her digits, the girl shivered in delight, and Hiei cleared his throat, that he finally snapped out of his trance. Pulling away with a blush, Kurama released her hand, his flush understandably as red as hers, if not redder.

"S-sorry," he uttered, inwardly kicking himself in the shin for pulling that 'stunt'. Hiei must be mentally laughing at him now.

The irritating smirk etched to his lips was testimony enough.

"U-um, it's alright…" she murmured, averting her gaze elsewhere. Clasping her hands together, she felt the one he held shake slightly; but no longer due to her nervousness, but his earlier ministrations instead. "I-it made me feel better…"

Kurama's eyes widened at her choice of words. Made her feel better?! Good gods, what was she saying? He felt his face heat up to an extent he thought he would faint with all the blood rushing to his head, but said nothing to her except a small, almost inaudible 'your welcome' in response. If all he had to do was kiss her fingers and lick them to receive such a result, he wondered briefly how good he could make her feel if he locked their lips together right then and there and kissed the breath out of her—Oh, god! What was he thinking? The less than decent thoughts merely caused him to bury his head deep in his palms, trying to somewhat hide the stupid blush that was stubborn to leave his cheeks.

"It seems your fiancée is quite the… promiscuous young lady," Hiei remarked with a teasing edge in his voice, a sly, lopsided grin curling at the edge of his mouth. "And here I thought she was an innocent, sweet little girl." He looked up to peer at the girl from the mirror, his gaze too playful for her taste. "Not as nice as one might think, now are we?"

"W-wha—" Botan was speechless, opening and closing her mouth like a stupid fish as she stumbled over her words. Promiscuous? Her?! Not in any way!

… Well, maybe allowing a man to lick her fingers – even if it was her own betrothed – was a bit too… well, indecent. Especially with someone else in the car. And especially after she blurted out it made her feel better.

Good lord, her and her habit of speaking of things she shouldn't! Why did she have to go and say that?

"Hiei," Kurama called, his voice slightly acidic, "I'll have you know that I _will_ tell Yukina that you were here in the car all along while I went and retrieved Botan from the store. Oh, and by the way, I met your sister," he spoke, his last sentence coming out dryly.

"Wait," Botan chimed in, confusion laced in her voice, "This," she pointed at Hiei, who was gritting his teeth and scrunching his features in discomfort, "is Yukina's brother?"

The sentence was spoken so incredulously Hiei had to resist the urge to stop the car and choke her to death. If only she wasn't his best friend's fiancé…

"Yep," Kurama's answer was too cheerful for Hiei's taste.

"This guy?" Botan asked again, wondering how on earth her kind, sweet, soft-spoken best friend, Yukina, could be blood related to a rude, annoying male such as Hiei. She pointed at Hiei again, her surprise and bewilderment evident on her countenance.

Kurama nodded his head. "Uh-huh. Hard to believe, huh?"

She nodded her head also. "Very. To think this asshole would be the wonderful Yukina-chan's brother…"

The two went on and on about how it was possible that two beings with totally different dispositions could exist as siblings during the whole car ride towards the interview. Apparently, Botan had gotten over her nerves.

Meanwhile, Hiei was plotting various ways to have the duo suffer a slow, painful death…

 **A/N:** A bit short, but oh well. I figured that adding the interview in this chapter would make it too long, so I decided to stop here. Pretty weird end to a pretty weird (or is it?) chapter, I must say. Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this! Be sure to review when you have the time!


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **A/N:** Hello, it's been a long time. It's me, Wendy. I'm finally back. So I realize I haven't been updating any of my fics lately, especially this one even though I promised to update it every week. I apologize for the wait and inconvenience for those who have been waiting for a long time for this chapter. I've been having problems with my computer, and rarely had time to fix it as I've been busy with other problems with life (personal things and work included). And because most of my docs were on that computer, I couldn't post any of them as I was even having a hard time with my computer's startup system. Although the matter is already resolved, I wish for your forgiveness and understanding. Again, I apologize to all my readers. Now, without further ado, the twelfth chapter of Blue Roses!

 **Chapter 12**

"I should be paid for doing this for the ungrateful bastard," Kuronue grumbled as he placed an ice pack Shizuru had given him on his bruised forehead. For some reason, he had an intuition that the woman was interested with him, but at the moment, didn't care about it.

He should really hire someone to assassinate the little bitch who dared hit _him_ , of all people. Apparently, Kurama's fans loved the presence of the actor, but deeply held a serious disdain for the poor bodyguard, Kuronue, as one of them did not even hesitate for a minute to punch him straight in the face. Thankfully, he managed to dodge before her fist could hit any more important spots on his countenance –like his eyes, his mouth, or god forbid, his nose– but he had barely escaped the blow that lead to the big lump on his forehead. Fortunately, after several hours of persuading and occasionally threatening some of the insane fan girls, he finally succeeded in driving them away.

Hopefully, they would never come back to haunt his life again.

But, then again, Kuronue knew he was never _that_ lucky.

"Does he always let you take care of things?" Shizuru, who had been gushing at the sight of him for the last couple of minutes, asked in curiosity. Her brown orbs fixed on the man she found awfully attractive but dared not tell him that.

There was a low, dangerous growl. "Fuck yes," he answered, his voice laced with pure wrath, "You'd think that being a manager, Hiei would be chosen as the one who cleans up every mess Kurama makes, but of course, being the nicest out of the three – because both my friends are a couple of irresponsible and evil assholes – I'm always stuck with the worst duties. I mean, sure, I'm his bodyguard, and I should protect him from his fan girls and any harm that comes to him. But, how I just wish he'd get a taste of how I feel sometimes. How I still love him and care for him as a best friend is _beyond_ my knowledge," he rambled, the others giving him sympathetic grins in return.

Ah, the life of a peasant. Nothing better to do than to follow the king's orders. Poor Kuronue.

* * *

"Will you calm down?" Kurama asked the blue haired girl who was taking a few deep, calming breaths. Normally, he wouldn't mind because he knew she was doing that to calm her nerves, but seriously, why the hell was she breathing in and out so loudly like that?

Heaving a sigh as Botan ignored him, Kurama shifted his gaze to Hiei. "Will you be staying here?"

Crimson orbs rolled in annoyance. "I'd wish. But, that fat old man Takahiro wanted to discuss some 'business' with me during tea. If the presence of sweet cake doesn't prevent me from choking the pig to death, then god help him."

"Oh, alright." Kurama nodded his head, a knowing grin playing at his lips. Of course, he was well aware of how much hatred Hiei held for the old and unfortunately not that very talented director who had been trying to get Hiei to persuade Kurama to agree to some roles he'd rather not think about. Odd that even after countless attempts, Hiei would always say 'no', but could never refuse every time Takahiro asked for another meeting to discuss the whole thing. "He never gives up," he went on, a laugh erupting from his throat. "I don't know how to take it. He's obviously a big fan of me."

"Is there a day where your narcissism doesn't tick me off?" Hiei muttered under his breath, his tone laced with sarcasm and irritation.

"Probably a million years later," came Kurama's playful response, his words serving to fuel Hiei's anger. Grumbling something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like a string of savage curses, Hiei turned and opened the door to the car, entering without saying a word to his redheaded friend, and much less to his fiancé.

"Where's he going?" Botan inquired in wonder as she watched Hiei drive off, leaving her alone with Kurama. She had been too busy calculating a few intelligent sentences she could use, and some answers to some questions that might pop up to notice that the black-haired man had gone, until the sound of tires screeching against the road echoed in her ears, and snapped her out of her thoughts.

"He has some matters to take care of," Kurama responded simply, one shoulder shrugging lightly. Botan blinked at the cryptic smile etched on the redhead's features, but said nothing, and a moment later, shrugged it off.

She looked up at the tall building in front of her, feeling her rattled nerves return the longer she stared. Kurama seemed to notice as he casted her a questioning glance. "I'm scared," she replied to the quizzical glimpse of his eyes on her form.

A look of understanding suddenly reflected in his pair of emeralds as her words sunk in. "Like I said before, don't worry." He gave her a small, reassuring pat on the top of her head; something he used to do a lot when she needed some comfort. "Just be yourself," he told her in a soft whisper, hand taking hers, and a smile reaching his lips.

Botan gaped at the quirk of his lips; it was one of those rare genuine smiles she'd sometimes get from him, different from those arrogant smirks, mischievous grins and taunting sneers that were almost always irritatingly on his face. It was one of those uncommon moments when she felt as if, from the real, gentle smiles, she could actually catch a small glimpse of his old self, as if he'd lapsed back to his old personality.

And it was during these moments, that she felt safe.

She nodded her head. "Yeah," and a warm smile crept up her lips. Her fingers intertwined with Kurama's, squeezing tightly, and a moment after, she felt herself relax.

* * *

"Hey, Kuronue-san, how did you end up working with Kurama-san, anyway? This is an Ace by the way," Keiko asked and stated as she placed one card on the table. The group, containing Kuronue, Shizuru, Keiko, Koenma and Yukina sat in a circle on the floor, playing the 'Bullshit' card game they saw in an anime before. After the whole incident of fan girls nearly barging in the store, Koenma had decided to close it for the day. She waited for a moment for someone to call out 'bullshit!' but none of them decided to speak.

"Well, I met Kurama in college. Along with Hiei, the three of us became best friends. When Kurama auditioned and was chosen for a role in an action film, he made Hiei the manager, and because I have a lot of strength, he also hired me as his bodyguard. I was pretty smart, but for some reason, I couldn't get a job, so I immediately agreed," Kuronue told his tale, the others nodding their heads in understanding as they listened. He expelled a deep sigh. "Well, if I knew back then that he was practically going to make me his slave, I probably would've said no in a heartbeat."

"It's a two," he declared, putting a card on the table.

"Three," This time, it was Shizuru.

"Four," Koenma said, his hand extending out with his fingers holding a card to place it on the wooden material, but he halted half way in his movements as Yukina quickly pointed a finger accusingly at him.

"Ah-ha! Bullshit!" she beamed, the overjoyed smile touching her lips contradicting the crude word that had erupted from her throat. Really, if it wasn't for the fact that this was a game, the others would have fainted out of shock.

Even so, Koenma knew she had won, so he reluctantly took all the cards placed on the table. Counting the number of his cards, Koenma mentally noted there was eighteen. Tch.

"Anyway, what I really want to know is about Botan," Kuronue spoke, as Koenma grumbled something about luck under his breath.

"What do you want to know about?" Yukina inquired in confusion, blinking her big crimson orbs at him. Kuronue gave her a toothy grin.

"Well, first of all, I wanna know if she still has feelings for you-know-who," he answered her, his voice laced with half curiosity and half amusement. "I mean, I know they used to be best friends and they know each other since they were kids, but I still don't know how they ended up hating each other."

"Huh?" Shizuru frowned, baffled at his choice of words. "What do you mean, hating each other? Botan never spoke of him badly – well, not till she got engaged with him anyway and found out he's a big dick."

Suddenly, there was a glint of mischief in Kuronue's purple irises, touching his mouth with a sly grin that could send a shiver down anyone's spine if they bear witness to it. "Yes, Kurama _does_ have a big dick," he crudely 'informed', Yukina blinking once more and Keiko blushing hotly at his words.

"Oh, good grief…" Keiko whispered in a low voice, shaking her head in disapproval. "Kuronue-san! What on earth are you saying?" All of a sudden, she clasped her hands on Yukina's ear, the sea-green haired grin still blinking and bewildered as to what was going on. "There's a kid here."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "She's not a kid, you know."

"Yes, she isn't, but mentally, she is too innocent to—to know that! Even I had to resist the urge to slap you in the face," she cried out indignantly, shooting daggers at his way.

"Now, now," Kuronue let out a laugh, "Relax, Keiko-chan! It's unseemly for a pretty girl like you to speak such language," he said and waved a hand at her dismissively.

"Keiko's taken," Shizuru butted in with her dry remark, "She has Yusuke, so you'd better not land a finger on her."

"Oh-ho?" Kuronue sounded off teasingly, wriggling his eyebrows at her. "My, Shizuru-chan, are you… by any chance, jealous?" He leaned in a little closer, nearing his face to hers as the young woman flushed bright red in embarrassment.

"Huh?" Shizuru snorted, and rolled her eyes, but the effect clearly wore off with the cute blush coloring her cheeks. "Why the fuck would I ever be jealous over a guy like you?"

"Again, with the crude language…" Kuronue lightly scolded her, before blowing a hot breath over her sensitive ear. Poor woman nearly dropped her cards at the gesture. "Now, is that the way for a beautiful woman such as yourself to speak?" he whispered.

Shizuru blushed harder, but she knew he was only teasing her. "You have a way with words, sir," she responded tartly, inwardly relieved as Kuronue pulled away, a wide grin appearing on his features, spreading from ear to ear.

Even though they had only known one another for a short time, Kuronue could tell that the woman was attracted to him, his sharp eyes and detailed perception giving him that much. _Well_ , he started in his thoughts, as he placed one elbow on the table and buried his chin in the warmth of his palm, his eyes gazing at Shizuru with a rare, soft smile etched to his lips. _Since Kurama's settling down, I might as well_ , he decided.

There was just something about the woman that he had never seen in other women, something he couldn't quite interpret, but made him drawn to her nonetheless. Kuronue had lived most of his life sleeping around with various girls, but maybe, with the woman sitting beside him, he could finally find what he was looking for:

 _Love._

He just hoped Kurama would find it in the girl, Botan, as well.

His chain of thoughts was suddenly interrupted by a loud, exasperated roar that came from Koenma, "Stop flirting, you fools! We're in the middle of an important game here!"

* * *

"Ah," Botan abruptly sounded off, as she realized something. Glancing down at herself to scrutinize her own appearance, the embarrassing revelation hit her that she was still in her red and yellow uniform. "Oh, god…" she mumbled, cupping a hand to her mouth to stifle a cry of shock. Why didn't she realize it before?!

In front of them, stood a white door, and behind it, were the people who were going to interview them. Argh! And just at the last minute, too! She couldn't just go in like this!

Kurama turned to look at her when he felt a light tug at the bottom of his shirt. He blinked at her upon noticing the rosy shade tinting her cheeks. "What?" he asked, wondering what was up with her.

"Umm…" Botan struggled, fidgeting a little. Ah, should she tell him? Would he understand? He wasn't like most patient men. If she told him she wanted to change her clothes, then he'd probably yell at her or hit her in the head for causing him to be late for an interview. But… Oh, god. She couldn't just meet the interviews while wearing this! Who knows what they might think? Normally, she wouldn't care – but this time, she did; not because of herself, but because she didn't want to embarrass _him_. Even though the whole world already knew she was merely a salesgirl, Botan wanted nothing but to make herself look good for him. What would people say about him if they saw her wearing a dirty old uniform to an important interview? Whilst Kurama just seemed amazing, she looked… well, like herself; a girl who didn't care much about fashion or how she appeared in the eyes of people. Except now.

She averted her gaze as Kurama's questioning stare seemed to intensify the longer she remained quiet. "Um…"

The redhead continued to gape at her for some moments, before eventually growing tired of her fidgety and stuttering demeanor. "Will you just tell me what's the matter with you?" he asked, his voice worried but impatient at the same time.

She shyly looked up at him. "I-I…" she stammered.

Kurama felt a vein popped at his forehead. Abruptly, he reached a hand out and took a hold of her smooth cheek, pinching lightly on the skin. If she was going to act that way, then he would have to take desperate measures.

"Ow, ow, ow!" she cried out as he tugged and pulled on her cheek. "S-stop it, Shuichi!"

"No," he stubbornly refused, his words coming off in a low and dangerous growl that caused her body to stiffen. She stared at him, eyes wide and fearful as he leaned in, looking straight into her eyes, and narrowing his at her. "Unless you're going to tell me what it is that's bothering you, then don't expect me to let go anytime sooner!"

"W-what?" she cried out incredulously, startled by his words. "Y-you don't mean… but, you're going to… Ow!" she winced as he tugged harder at her cheek, not enough to hurt her much, but enough to get her to confess, "O-okay! I-I… I don't want to go in looking like this…"

He frowned. "Like this?" he echoed the words, halting his 'attacks' to give her a weird stare, but still didn't release her poor cheek. "What on earth are you on about?"

"This!" she roared, and pointed at herself. "T-this uniform… it's dirty, wrinkled… and dusty… If I go in wearing this… then…"

"Then…?"

"Then, I'm going to embarrass you…" she slowly muttered, her voice low and barely audible. Only he heard her.

Botan felt Kurama slowly let go of her cheek, and on instant, her arm shot up to cup a hand on her cheek and rub on the sore spot. She inwardly noted to herself to get back at him for this. How dare he pinch her cheek like that and… "S-Shuichi?" Botan murmured timidly as he placed his fingers at her chin, tugging her face upwards and forcing her to face him.

His expression was deadly serious, his emerald irises determined as the words left his lips, "You're perfect as you are, Botan, and don't you dare question that. Do you know why I didn't tell you that you were still wearing your uniform even though I realized?" He silenced her by running his thumb over her lower lip when she tried to speak – most likely on the verge of asking him exactly why. A gentle smile lingered at the edge of his mouth. "It's because I want the whole world to see the real you."

Her eyes widened, her mouth hanging open at his words.

Oh.

 _Oh._

Was this a dream? Botan couldn't help but wonder. It was hard to believe that he was saying all this to her, but she felt her heart swell with joy and a bit of pride. A familiar flush crept up her cheeks, but unlike her usual self, this time she welcomed it.

"B-but…" she started, and bit on the inside of her cheek. "I don't want to…"

"My image doesn't matter," he quickly said, his voice firm yet gentle. When she lifted her gaze to meet his once again, she saw him hesitate for a moment. "Okay, well, it does. I mean, without my image, then I won't be famous and probably won't be able to continue my acting career and—" He cut himself short when she pinned a deadpanned look on him. He gave her a sheepish smile, before clearing his throat. "A-anyway, putting that aside, I… I want people to see my fiancé as who she is. I admit, my reputation _is_ important, but I never wanted you to pretend to be someone you're not," he uttered, his expression suddenly serious as the smile faltered from his lips. He shifted his eyes, and met hers, locking gazes with her, and staring right into her soul, as he said,

"I want you to be yourself." Slowly, he removed his fingers from her chin, pulling away as his mouth lifted upwards to form a smile. "That's why… I want you to act like yourself, talk like yourself… and look like yourself. I just want you to be you. To be my fiancé, Botan Fukuyama… can you do that for me? And not just for me, but for you, as well."

Botan stared at him, her wide amethysts gaping back at his determined emeralds. Deep within those beautiful jewel green orbs, Botan could still see the old Shuichi, his kindness and warmth still retained even after those long seven years and even after his persona had almost fully changed.

She smiled.

"Of course."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 13**

"Now, relax, we're not here to bite you," a young man, probably in his early 20's, with short red hair and a pair of deep blue orbs, jested as he gestured for the red-haired actor and his blue-haired fiancé to enter.

Botan nodded her head, inhaling a sharp intake of breath, before calmly sauntering towards her seat. She flopped down on the couch, the cameras surrounding her making her heart race and her hands turn icy cold. But, this time, she didn't let it show, as she spoke, "Hello, my name is Botan Fukuyama! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Her voice was still as cheerful and bubbly as ever.

The lively way the girl greeted them caused the red-haired man, Jin Kazetsukai, to form a toothy, ear to ear grin with his lips. Obviously, he'd taken a liking towards her. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, as well, Botan-san. I'm Jin Kazetsukai. And this handsome looking dude right here is Touya," he introduced in a kidding manner as he pointed at the man beside him, sitting in a cross-legged position on the comfortable couch, his ice blue hair and equally beautiful blue eyes causing Botan to stare in awe.

"Hello. My name is Touya Shimitsu. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance," he spoke, his curt tone reminding her sorely of Kurama – who by now had taken a seat beside her, seeming as calm and collected as usual.

"And of course, we know who _you_ are, Kurama-san," Jin gestured towards the redhead, giving him a friendly smile. Kurama responded by returning it with his own. "You're quite the hottie, now aren't you? I'd bet every fan girls are having their hearts broken right now."

Kurama couldn't resist the urge to let an amused chuckle pour out his lips. "Well, I suppose. They can be… quite possessive sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Botan chimed in an incredulous tone. It took her a moment to realize how rude she must have sounded, and she immediately slapped a hand to her mouth. Oh, gods, if Kurama's fans were watching this live interview, who knows what their reactions would be if they heard her say that?

She dared not think of it.

The loud fit of laughter she received from the boys in return managed to somewhat ease her nerves a little, however, as the sound echoed in the air conditioned room.

"My, you are quite humorous, Botan-san," Touya remarked, cupping a hand to his mouth to stifle another howl of laughter.

"Yeah, you've got guts!" Jin exclaimed as he laughed. "If I was Kurama-san, I would never let go of such an awesome chick like you!" he added, before he could stop himself.

At Botan's rosy blush, Kurama's suddenly dark exterior, and Touya's face-palm, Jin eventually realized what he just uttered out. An overwhelming fear gripped at his sides as Kurama's heated glare seemed to intensify on his form.

Oopsy-daisy.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kurama-san! I didn't mean it like _that_. I just meant it… like, you know, she's just a great person," he swiftly corrected himself, an awkward laugh leaving his lips. "Of course, _I_ would never steal the fiancé of a young, charming actor everyone seems to adore."

He heaved a mental sigh of relief as the menace reflected in the vibrant pools of emeralds finally diminished, gone and hopefully never to come back. Phew. He'd just escaped death!

"Oh," Kurama muttered, and nodded his head. "Right, of course." All the while, he wondered why he acted the way he did. He couldn't understand it, but for whatever reason, he had felt a twinge of… jealousy (?) in his heart as Jin made that silly comment about his betrothed. Of course, he _knew_ it was a joke, and that the red-haired interview meant no harm. But… he couldn't just help but imagine how it would be if Botan was with another man… Of course, that wasn't possible, right? She belonged to _him_ and him only—She was his, and not one man could—

 _Okay, stop. What the hell am I thinking?!_ He screamed in his thoughts, and inwardly shook his head to brush the feeling away. _Not_ possible… was it? Once again, he found himself confused over his real feelings for the girl. But… _Argh, no! Don't think about it!_

He spared a fleeting glance at Botan, releasing a sigh of relief as he realized that she was too busy eyeing the cakes lying on top the table at the far corner of the room to had noticed. Funny how she could be so oblivious and naïve sometimes – but then again, it was kind of cute— _Okay, seriously, stop._

It took him a moment to regain his composure, but when he did, Touya's voice resonated in the walls of the room, reaching his ears and bringing him out of his reverie.

"So, Kurama-san, let's start the interview, now shall we?" Touya spoke, in an attempt to break off the tense, awkward silence that had engulfed the four.

"Yes, we can," the redhead answered, his voice sounding in the way it would when he switched to a professional mode. However, one brief glance at Botan, caused him to realize that the girl was not paying attention. _This idiot…_ He sighed.

With one poke from Kurama at Botan's rear, said girl finally looked up and averted her attention on more important matters… than the delicious, mouth-watering sweets on the table…

"Would you like one?" Touya's amused voice reached her ears, and the girl turned to look at him, her face blank for a moment, until she finally understood that he was referring to the cakes.

A blush. "Um… can I have one?" she asked, instead of giving him a proper response. Although, that alone was enough to give away that she _was_ craving for a taste. After all, she hadn't eaten at all since this morning and she was rather famished.

As if on cue, her stomach growled, the loud noise echoing in the room and startling the men. Her blush deepened. "Uh…" she tried to say, but was unable to even utter out a word due to the embarrassment.

A chuckle rumbled from Jin's throat. "Wow, you must be _really_ hungry."

"I… Yes, um, y-yes, I am," she eventually admitted, albeit she stammered and hesitated for a second.

"When is the last time you've eaten?" Touya questioned, and Botan watched as he got to his feet, and headed for the table. Grabbing a plate, Touya placed a chocolate-melted cake on it, before turning on his heels and walking back to the other three. "Here," he said, with a polite smile as he set the plate on the table, pushing it forward towards the girl.

"Ah…" Botan was flabbergasted. To have someone – and a stranger at that – fetch her food… Ah, the humiliation!

Regardless of her now tattered pride, Botan was well aware that she couldn't decline the generous offer. Besides, she was hungry anyway, so this was a good thing… Supposedly. "Thank you," she murmured in a timid whisper, the two interviewers smiles growing wider at her deepening flush. Ah, what a cute girl… Too bad she was already taken.

Botan was on the verge of grabbing the fork, when Kurama beat her to it, snatching it out of her grasp. Startled and a bit irritated, Botan parted her mouth to reprimand him for being rude and to advice him not to steal other people's food (even if it was given to her). But, all of a sudden, he cut through the chocolate cake with the fork, some of the melted chocolate inside spilling out as he brought it to her lips.

Instead of telling her "Say 'aahh'" like most people would, he pinned an exasperated stare on her. "Do you want it or not?" he impatiently asked, when she had still not made a move to bite on the sweet desert.

"Huh? Oh, sure…" came an astonished Botan's response. Slowly, she leaned in and wrapped her mouth around the small piece of chocolate, pulling back and dragging it from the fork. She felt her face heat up to an extent it felt as if it was boiling, as she tentatively chewed on the treat. _Delicious… And what makes it more delicious… is the fact that Shuichi fed it to me… Ah, Botan! No, what are you saying!_

Whilst the girl was engaged in a battle with herself, Kurama's gaze was lingering on her soft, pink honey-dew lips. For a moment, he thought of kissing her, but immediately brushed the silly musing off at the solid reminder that there were a couple of other people in the room. He heavily sighed. What prompted him to go and feed her like that? He himself wasn't sure. But, he knew one thing for certain: the moment he saw Touya fetched the chocolate cake for his fiancé, he felt a sudden surge of possessiveness that seemed to override his senses and put him into action. Nevertheless, he was just glad that none of the other three that occupied the room bothered to ask him what caused him to do that just now. Argh, how embarrassing it would be to explain.

"As I expected from the great Kurama-san," Touya uttered in complete awe, and clapped his hands. Jin, on the other hand, was sneering like a little pervert. "You are one of the finest gentlemen I have ever seen."

Kurama couldn't help but blush at the showered compliments. It wasn't as if he wasn't used to them, but it was because Touya didn't know the _real_ reason he fed Botan, causing him to think of the redhead as a gentleman – something he had never used to describe himself but his old persona.

"W-well, that was a sweet gesture and all," Botan's voice chimed in, cutting short his musings and he rotated his head to peer at her, blinking in confusion when she snatched the fork from his fingers. "But, I'd rather do it myself, thank you," she finished, her voice firm yet gentle. Although she'd admit that the action of him feeding her _had_ brought her joy, she was never the type to just sit idly and let someone baby her.

Kurama didn't argue. He wouldn't want to feed her the entire time during their interview, as well. Just imagining the embarrassment was enough to make him go crimson in the cheeks.

"Anyway, getting back to the interview," Jin's voice abruptly started. He stared at the cards in his hands, taking a moment to comprehend all the written words before lifting his gaze and shifting it on the couple. "So, there's been a lot of questions spreading around the internet about how you two managed to get together; most frequently shown is the inquiry of how you guys met." Touya couldn't help but smirk; Jin might be a bit too carefree sometimes, but when it came to getting the job done, he was serious. "Mind telling us how you two first met?"

"Ah," Kurama nodded his head, "Yes, well, Botan and I have been… well, best friends since we were little kids. Our inseparable friendship lasted until we grew to become teenagers and reached the age of fifteen. That was when the two of us went on our separate paths; she went to Osaka to stay with her parents, while I, on the other hand, stayed at my parents' mansion in Tokyo." He smiled, somewhat surprised by his own honesty at answering the question. _Well… I_ _ **did**_ _say I wanted to be myself_ , he mused.

"Oh, so I see," Jin nodded in understanding, "So, you've been acquaintance with one another ever since you were young." _Well, that explains a lot of things_ , he thought to himself. No wonder the red-haired actor chose her as his fiancé: he knew her for a long time! Ah…

"And, how did you manage to develop feelings for each other?" This time, it was Touya's turn to question. He continued to fix his eyes on the cards in his hands, before averting them to Botan, as if expecting her to answer. After all, Kurama responded the first time, it wouldn't hurt to hear what the girl thought.

Botan, catching the look, leaned back in the couch. "Um… well, I don't know, I guess I've always liked him. But, if I were to think of a certain moment that really made me realize how much I loved –I mean, _love_ him, it would be on my birthday when he got me a teddy bear," she explained, her cheeks turning into a shade of rose, as she recalled the memory. She didn't notice Kurama who was also blushing beside her.

"Ah, as expected of Kurama-san." Touya clapped once again, his respect for the young actor rapidly growing. "That sounds really romantic."

"Touya's a bit of a sucker for romance," Jin suddenly kidded, to which he earned a hard nudge at his rear from said ice blue haired man whose eyebrow was twitching. "Anyway, back to the main topic at hand, how about you, Kurama-san? When did you realize your feelings for her?"

It took Kurama a long moment before he could properly speak. "Well, I guess I felled for her before that. I don't exactly know when, but the memory Botan described, I-I remember that I already like her then," he spoke slowly, catching himself off guard as deep emotions flooded from his words without him realizing it. He tried to ignore Botan whose eyes widened in shock at his confession.

And, did he just say 'like'? As in he still liked her? Nah… he was just saying that because neither of them would want the two interviewers to know the truth that they no longer harbored the same affections for each other… but then again, the word left his lips without him meaning it to… No, no. He was just over thinking it. Fortunately, Botan didn't notice his little slip up – or chose to pretend not to.

"Wow, so I guess you're like childhood sweethearts, huh," Jin stated, once again nodding his head. _If only I had someone like that… I mean, Ruka's so promiscuous I can't even tell if she likes me or not!_

Touya, who immediately caught on that his friend was thinking of his pink-haired girlfriend, nudged him by his rear once more, snapping him out of his thoughts and back into reality.

"Okay. Now that we got that covered, let's move on to another question," Jin said as he recovered his composure, making sure to shoot a death glare at Touya before turning to gape down at the cards. He skipped a few ones he thought that was either unnecessary or too personal, before stopping at one in particular. "So, do you think you two can have a future together? If so, why?" For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder if this was a quiz, but quickly shrugged the thought off.

Kurama and Botan blinked: what kind of question was that?! Ah, how were they supposed to answer _that_ honestly? They never even thought about it. The duo spared a fleeting glance at one another, as if seeking a response from one another.

"Uh…" the redhead started, albeit he sounded a little reluctant, "I think we can be really happy with each other. I think." He paused, seeming to contemplate on the second inquiry. "And… well, I guess this is because we understand each other; we've been through a lot together. And Botan… Botan's the only who… who I could actually depend on…" All of a sudden, a wistful smile reached his lips. Ah, again, he blurted out something he genuinely meant. It was true. At least, in the past it was, anyway.

A gentle smile curved at the edge of Touya's mouth. He understood that. He knew how it felt. He had the same kind of relationship with his wife, Koto.

Jin, on the other hand, was once again wishing he could experience the same thing…

The first time Botan heard it, she thought her ears were playing tricks on her. The second time she heard it was when she unconsciously repeated the words in her mind. The third time she heard it was when Jin actually asked Kurama to say it again (for what reason, everyone –minus Jin– in the room was confused), and caused her to wonder if they were true. Did he—did he really mean that? She knew they depended on each other a lot when in the past; heck, they were the only people they could depend on. But… she hadn't expected for him to sound so… sincere…

"And Botan-san?" Touya turned to look at the girl, her name passing his lips interrupting her chain of thoughts and she shifted her gaze on him. "How about you? Do you feel the same?" he asked her.

Her mouth opened, and then closed, and then opened again. "I…" At that moment, she looked up and met Kurama's eyes, his pair of emeralds gazing deep into her depths of amethysts. "I do. Yes," and she repeated, "I do."

And when those words escaped her, Botan couldn't help but realize that her voice sounded oddly similar to Kurama's…

Genuine. Sincere. _Real._

 _As if they still felt the same way._


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 14**

"Ah, I'm tired!" Botan exclaimed as the large doors slid open with a loud creaking sound that seemed to rumble throughout the entire mansion, allowing her to enter her home. It was nighttime by the time they finished the interview, waited for Hiei to return from his business meeting with Takahiro and pick them up, and headed back to their house. She heard Kurama shut the door and locking it behind her, but didn't bother to look at him. She felt oddly… awkward around the redhead, for some reason, but as she breathed in the air, and felt him wrap his jacket around her, she realized she no longer did.

"I'm going to take a bath," she informed him, as she whipped around to face him. Kurama's eyes were already glued on her form when she turned, but Botan didn't think much of it.

He nodded his head in return, allowing a small smile to find its way to his lips. He observed quietly as she wrapped the jacket tighter around her shoulders, finding himself strangely mesmerized by her lithe form skipping up the long staircase. As he eyed her, a sudden revelation occurred to him: He still… liked her. Or, more precisely, dare he say it, loved her. Whether his feelings had lingered over the years, or if he had truly never forgotten her, he couldn't say. But, he had no doubt that he still felt the same towards her as he had years and years ago. He wasn't sure how to take it; either it was a bad thing or a good thing, he didn't know it himself. After long years and countless efforts to get over her and hate her very existence, it was odd that he still found himself drawn to her as he did in the past, if not more. But one thing he was certain was that he couldn't as well ignore the whirlwind of emotions taking residence in his heart. At first, he figured he must have been confusing his feelings; emotions, after all, were complicated things – one of the reasons he tried so desperately not to dwell too much in them. But, watching her, Kurama could still feel those same sensations: the butterflies in his stomach… the fast tempo of his beating heart everytime he caught sight of her… the crimson shade that crept up his cheeks whenever she touched him or said something that embarrassed him… and most importantly, that urge to hold her and embrace her as tightly as he could and never let go, but knew he couldn't…

It was obvious: he was still in love with her.

He heaved a deep sigh. Really, how the girl managed to remain in his heart even after a long separation was beyond understanding. Weirder still, was that it took him a long time and a live interview to recognize it and accept it as a fact and a part of his life. But, what to do now?

 _Not much_ , he mused with a small smile as he ascended up the stairs. True. There wasn't much for him to do… She was already his. She was bound to be wedded to him. And even if someone did try to steal her from him, they would never succeed: both because of the bond of their engagement, and the fact that he would have them killed before they dared to look her way. Although, there was one thing he was aware that he must do, an action that he must take in order to fully have her. He had to confess to her. Sooner or later, he knew he had to. But, being the same boy who hadn't the courage to utter out the three magic words, even after being best friends with the girl of his dreams for years, that was one of the hardest things he could accomplish.

Sometimes, he truly wished he could have that true, unwavering grit his friend, Kuronue, seemed to possess whenever he was smitten by a woman.

 _Ah_ , he mentally breathed as his right hand found the doorknob of the door to his room, _to think that the great Kurama could be troubled over this…_ _ **again**_ _._

* * *

Botan wrapped the towel around her supple figure, one hand placed at the top to cover a bit of her cleavage as she reached for her change of clothes lying in a bundle in a basket on the tiled floor of the bathroom. She knew that Kurama would be in their room at this time of night, as usual, reading a book or practicing some lines, so she was wise enough to choose the other bathroom at the far end of the hallway, about two doors away from their bedroom.

 _Our bedroom._ She paused as she developed a pink tinge in the face. _It still feels strange saying that_ , she remarked in her musings. But, a gentle smile was clearly evident on her lovely features.

Unwrapping the towel, Botan let it glide down her body in a swift, graceful slide, as she picked up her pink, lacy panties. Sliding the garment up her legs, she then reached for her bra, hooking it behind her as she wrapped the straps around her shoulders. At last, her hands gripped on a white, knee-length night dress, and in a quick motion, she slid it over her head, before tugging it down her form.

Humming a tune, the girl wrapped the towel around her head, and proceeded to rub it against her hair in attempt to dry it off as she exited the bathroom. One arm holding her red and yellow uniform, Botan headed for the washing room, where the washing machine was. Forcing it open with her free hand, the girl proceeded to throw the pieces of dirty clothing inside.

* * *

Kurama could hear the sound of the washing machine running as he pushed the door open and stepped out of the bedroom. Knowing it was Botan as she was the only other person in the house, Kurama went to walk there to see if she was doing alright… until a strange flickering of lights caught his eyesight. Although from afar, the redhead could tell that the lights were moving. Curious, he descended down the staircase, grabbing the keys from a counter by the stairs as he headed for the door. Pushing one of the keys into the keyhole, Kurama proceeded to twist it around, turning the doorknob and sliding the door open, before he then stepped into his pair of red flip-flops. He stepped outside, closing the door behind him, but leaving it unlocked due to the fear that Botan might come looking for him, and went on his way to locate where he had seen the lights. If he was correct, then they would be at…

He soon found himself in vast space filled with green grass at the back of the house, a feeling of overwhelming astonishment taking over his senses as he realized what the tiny, dancing lights were. One flew into his palm, before flying away elsewhere and he smiled. _Fireflies._

When was the last time he'd seen them? Kurama briefly contemplated as he flopped down on the grass in the middle of the vast area. He had been pretty busy, he realized, with his acting career to had experience enjoyment over watching the small, pretty things glimmer and brighten up everything around them. Right now, he watched as the insects glowed, the green grass and the tall trees becoming bright yellow as they flew here and there in slow, gentle, almost dancing-like patterns.

All his life, ever since Botan had left him and moved to Osaka those seven years ago, he had never been without the presence of worries. His mother passed away, his brother passed on with her. And his entire life had been nothing but wanting to become better than the high expectations people around him had for him. That was why he succeeded and became the valedictorian in his high school. That was why he went and entered the soccer team and became the reason his team had never broken their winning streak. That was why he attended music lessons, language classes, and mastered all of them. That was why he chased after his dream of becoming an actor and managed to become one of the most successful and hottest yet. That was why he tried so hard to push himself. _Don't bite more than you can chew_. He had long surpassed that, all to overcome his fears and concerns that he would disappoint everyone around him, only to find himself shackled in chains, one after another coming to tangle at his heart with each burden that he had to bear, most of them he had no desire to carry.

And all that because Botan had left him. She had been the only one besides his mother and his little step-brother he could wholeheartedly trust and rely on. When his mother and brother passed away, who else did he have to depend on? The step-father who prioritized his work over his own son? His so-called friends at the time who cared more about his money and his charms than his very own self? Of course not. _She_ had been the only one he could have turned to, _she_ had been the only one who could have soothe his fears and comfort him at his hour of need. _Botan._ And she had left. At first, he loathed her for that, and over time, his resentment had grown to run deeper, burning his soul with a hatred he never thought he could possess. Which resulted in him trying to forget all about her, and avoid any contact with her at all costs. Their bond had been unbreakable. And he had thought that she had broken that bond when she left. But, he was wrong. It was never her fault. It was never broken. The bond was still there, tying them together as strong as ever, if not stronger. He just never took the time to clearly see it.

He smiled; a warm, deep promised smile. If he could make her happy, then that was all he could ever want. If he could make her happy, then he could have the entire world in his grasp. Because she _was_ his world.

And now, sitting here, thinking of her whilst watching the fireflies, for once, Kurama felt at ease.

* * *

Botan was absolutely baffled and completely worried when she found that Kurama was not sitting on the bed with either a script or a book in his hands. He had gone elsewhere, she realized, but where? Where could he have gone to in the middle of the night?

She peered up to spare a brief glance at the clock. _10:45 p.m._ she noted the time. Where could he be?

Shutting the door close behind her as she stepped out the bedroom, Botan looked around, glancing here and there to spot any signs of her fiancé, and frowning when there was none. "That's strange…" she murmured to herself, as she descended down her stairs. Her bare feet felled on the cold floor with a soft 'thud' sound as her eyes caught sight of the slightly opened door, a tiny crack peeking through to reveal the night sky. Her eyes widened. Oh, god, don't tell her… Could he be—?

Literally sprinting for the door, the girl slammed it open, casting her eyes around her surroundings furiously. No, still no signs of him. Where could he have gone to? Why would he even go out in the middle of the cold night, anyway? She shivered as the chilly breeze blew against her supple form, her hands rubbing up and down her arms to offer herself some comfort and warmth.

Well, if he wasn't at the gate, then he must be…

Running around the house, Botan stopped as she reached the back of it, small, breathy pants escaping her lips. She was right. Lying there with his arms crossed and placed behind his head on the green grass, was Kurama. She couldn't see him quite well, but the long red hair was testimony enough. And—

Wait, were those fireflies?

Her mouth felled apart in awe as she eyed the winged insects fly around, their bright yellow flickering lights brightening up the vast area. This place could make for a great garden, Botan noted to herself before giggling as a one deliberately flew into her tender hand. She watched as it stayed there for a moment, before flying away to join the rest.

"So pretty…" she uttered in appreciation for the beauty presented right before her. Taking a second, Botan continued to watch the fireflies fly over her, before turning to peer at Kurama. No wonder he went out! The cheeky bastard didn't even tell her about this breathtaking sight!

… Well, she wasn't mad. Not literally, anyway.

She sauntered her way to him, the sound of her soft footsteps against the grass echoing in the air, causing the redhead to look up to see her towering over him. Her lovely features in a bright, lively smile, Botan took a seat beside him on the grass, and placed her hands on her lap. Neither one spoke, but neither of them minded the calm, comfortable silence as they continued to drink in the beautiful lights displayed in front of them.

"Botan…" Kurama finally called, breaking off the silence.

"Hey, Shuichi," she greeted back, turning her heads downwards to fix her gaze on his form. "You left without telling me, so I got worried," she declared, but her voice held no anger.

Even so, the redhead found himself apologizing, "I'm sorry." He propped himself on his elbows, pushing himself off the grass and into a sitting position. He didn't look at her, but his hand found hers, squeezing lightly on the tender flesh. She didn't object, so he assumed she was okay with it.

"You remember when we used to catch fireflies in your parents' garden?" she suddenly said, her voice barely a soft whisper and sounded like a gentle breeze as the words left her pink lips. But, oddly enough, he could hear her.

"Yes," came his response. He eventually shifted his irises to her, unable to resist the urge to look at her any longer. Her face, serene and gentle, was as beautiful as the fireflies were. There was no smile, but he could tell she was contented.

"We used to race so we could see who caught the fireflies first." A soft giggle. "I remember we would always argue with each other."

"Yes," he breathed, a wistful smile crossing his lips, "You never played fair, and you always let go of the one I caught from my jar, so you could win." A chuckle reverberated in his throat, as he felt the girl playfully swat him on the shoulder.

"That's because you would always pull my hair whenever I lost," she retorted, and puffed her cheeks cutely.

"It's not my fault you always kept your hair loose."

She fake-glared at him as those words resonated between them, another chuckle erupting from his throat as the girl feigned anger, and pretended to look away with an indignant 'hmph!'. A few moments later, his laughter soon died down, fading into the thin air, and leaving nothing in its wake but complete silence. Again, neither of them minded. No words were spoken, but they were satisfied with just being there with one another.

"You know," Botan abruptly started, "I meant what I said when I told Touya and Jin that I realized I liked you when you gave me that stuffed teddy bear." A small smile lingered at the corners of her lips.

He nodded his head. "I know," he whispered, feeling her fingers intertwine with his.

"I never understood myself, to be honest. I mean, I knew I loved you from the start, but I still engaged in love relationships with other boys. I didn't know why, I guess I knew you were sort of always out of my reach and that I feared that I might break our friendship or you might notice I had a crush on you. At some point, I think maybe I had even fallen in love with my ex-boyfriends, but none of them had became more cherished to me than you had always been." She shook her head at herself. "So, in the end, I ultimately decided to stop dating and focus on my job. I guess it did some good to me, because I wasn't plagued with confusing thoughts anymore." _And I think, I think I still like you that way, Shuichi. I don't think anyone's ever replaced you in that special place in my heart. Not completely._ She added in her thoughts, but dared not voice them out loud.

Kurama nodded his head, letting her words sink in. _I, on the other hand, have never found a suitable one to be my lover… but you._ "You know, you told me you'd gotten over your feelings for me… is that true?" he asked, too curious to hold the question back.

She didn't answer, but he could clearly see her turn red in the cheeks, and looked away.

 _Ah. So she's not going to answer me_ , he mused with a light smirk. Never mind. There was time. Time for him to ready himself to finally tell her his feelings. Time for him to understand her better. Time for them to nurture their relationship and grow. And time for him to make her fall for him all over again.

But, with that simple crimson shade coloring her adorable face, Kurama couldn't help but cling on a thin shred of hope: perhaps, it meant she still loved him, and in some way, reciprocated his feelings.

"My birthday," he suddenly uttered, and Botan turned to look at him, her eyes wide and frightful. "Remember what happened?"

"Your…" she trailed off, not wanting to finish her sentence. Of course, she knew. But, she wasn't about to say it. She didn't want to pronounce the words to Kurama. She didn't want him to be hurt.

He grinned at her. She was always so considerate of others. But, he had a reason for bringing it up now. He was ready to tell her… "My mother and brother passed away," he finished for her.

He saw her eyes reflect a deep regret and sorrow, as she downcasted her gaze to her lithe hands. Even with the simple body language, Kurama could tell what she was trying to say: _I'm sorry._

"When I found out," he went on, "When I realized they died in a car crash because of me… Because they were on their way to buy me a birthday present and surprise me…"

" _Shuichi-kun, I'm sorry to tell you this, but your mother and your little brother, Suuichi, have passed on. They died in a car accident… it was raining, and I told them not to go, but they insisted on going to the shop to buy you a birthday present. And…_ "

The words still echoed in his mind, even now. And he nearly broke into tears, but Botan quickly gathered him in her arms, her touch soothing and her warmth comforting as she embraced him.

"I was in a state of despair," His voice cracked at the last word.

"And I wasn't there," she said, her voice holding deep resentment towards herself and guilt for not being by side in his time of need. "I'm sorry, I was with my family, visiting a relative, and the news didn't reach me until it was too late… I-I hate myself for disappointing you…"

He smiled as he felt her body shake against his. Burying his head in the crook of her neck, he took in her scent. _Lavender._ He felt peaceful like this, so he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her closer.

"It's alright, I understand," he told her, reassuring her. "Please, don't beat yourself up over it… None of it was your fault." His voice, soft and warm, caused the tears to finally trail down her cheeks

"B-but—" she began to sob, "I-I…"

"Stop," he said, firmer this time, "I said, stop."

She didn't. "You stopped accepting my calls and texts after that. And I left you alone a little after, because I thought you hated me. I-I should have known better…"

He lifted his head, fixing his eyes on her wet, tears-cascading face. He leaned in, kissing her tears away and tasting the salty substance on his tongue. "I told you to stop. Why do you always have to be so stubborn?" he whispered, but a smile was on his lips. "You're helpless, you know that? I'm the one supposed to be crying…" he jested, in hopes to ease her sobbing.

He succeeded, as her soft bawling came to a sudden stop. She sniffled cutely, staring at him with eyes red from crying and cheeks flushed an adorable pink. "I-I can't help it… every time I think that I left you all alone… when you were in so much pain… I just… I just hate myself for not being there… I know I was the only you had at the time, and I… I let you down…" she murmured quietly, her eyes casted downwards in shame.

Kurama shook his head. With one hand, he placed his fingers on her small chin, tugging her head upwards to meet his gaze. He gaped back at her, his expression stern but gentle. "Stop saying that," he sighed.

She bit her lip. "Don't you hate me for it, Shuichi? For leaving you like that?" she asked in a tiny voice, as if scared to hear the answer.

A smile. "I used to," he whispered, and repeated, "I used to."

"A-and now…?"

He shook his head once more, the smile etched on his lips broadening ever so slightly.

"D-did you change…" She paused to swallow a lump in her throat, "… because of me?"

"Yes," He quickly cupped her cheeks when she tried to avert her eyes away from his once again, and forced her to meet his deep, smoldering and piercing emerald orbs once more. "But, I'm still the same. Although, personality-wise, not entirely the same… but my emotions are, Botan, I can guarantee you that." He smiled at her, a loving, affectionate smile that seemed to touch his green irises with warmth. "Just promise me one thing." He released his hold on her when he felt that she wouldn't look away.

Botan slowly blinked at him when he let go, a part of her aching for his touch and missing the warmth he offered. "What is it?"

All of a sudden, his gentle fingers found her cheek, grazing over the smooth skin lightly, and the touch nearly similar to that of brushing feathers across her cheek. "That you would never leave me again."

A smile, filled with promises, soft and reassuring came to rest on her pink lips. "I promise. Never again."

"Never again?" he echoed, his hand trailing to the back of her head and nearing her face to his.

She fluttered her eyelids close as she felt his warm breath fanning over her mouth. "Never again," she whispered.

He nodded his head. "Never again," he repeated once more, before cupping her cheeks in both hands.

Leaning down, he sealed her lips in a passionate kiss.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 15**

When Botan awoke, she felt oddly chilly… but warm.

Her first thought was to get up, open the curtains and make some breakfast for the both of them, her and Kurama. But then, feeling a pair of arms tighten their grip around her, she ultimately decided that she should stay like this for a while longer. She looked up at Kurama, drinking in the sight of his serene sleeping face, his crimson strands like soft curtains as it felled over his charming features. His eyelids, she noticed, were very long, and his lips parted slightly to let out a few breaths in his sleep. She watched him, before reaching a hand to cup his cheek, running her thumb over the smooth skin. A smile crossed her lips when he unconsciously leaned into her touch.

"Shuichi…?" she called, pausing a moment to watch him flutter his eyes open. _As usual, he's so easy to wake up_ , she mused, as her smile broadened slightly. Botan quietly observed as the redhead unwrapped an arm from her waist and rubbed a fist over his eye, but leaving his other arm in its original place.

"What time is it?" he asked drowsily, his eyes half-lidded as he stared back at her. A soft, girlish giggle poured out of her lips as she felt him graze his fingers lightly over her ear, tickling her. A gentle smile curved at the corners of his lips at the reaction he managed to elicit from her.

"Hm, I don't know," she answered, touching a hand over his to stop his ticklish ministrations. Slowly, she propped herself by her elbows and sat up on the bed. Lifting her gaze, Botan peered up at the clock hanging on the wall. "It's 10:00."

"We overslept," Kurama said as he rolled on the bed, placing an arm over his forehead as he gaped at her pretty countenance. Her hair was a bit messy, but oddly still, she seemed as beautiful as ever.

"I don't see how it's a big deal," Botan responded as she raised her arms and stretched. Throwing her legs over the edge of the bed, the girl got to her feet and headed for the curtains, sliding it open. A toothy grin lifted up her pink lips as she heard a groan from Kurama, most probably due to the blinding sunlight. "It's not like we have work today or anything," she went on. Her smile faltered slightly as a moment later, a thought occurred in her mind. She turned to look at her fiancé, who had his back facing her as if to hide from the sun. "You don't have any filming today, do you?" she inquired in worry and fear.

Kurama let a small smile find its way to his mouth as he caught the concern laced in her voice. "No," he reassured her, finally sitting up from the bed and shifting his eyes on her form, "I don't."

Almost as instantly, her grin returned, looking as cheerful as ever, as she skipped to the bed and on instincts, went and sat on his lap. Botan didn't seem to notice the faint blush creeping up Kurama's cheeks, which seemed to deepen as she wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him closer. "Good," she said, and nodded her head happily, "Cause I don't really plan on going anywhere, and I'm not gonna let you leave me alone in the house," she teased, her free hand poking a finger playfully at his rear.

He laughed. "It's a mansion," he kiddingly corrected, gliding his right hand from the mattress to her small back, as he leaned in closer to her ear, letting a hot breath fan over her sensitive skin. "And I don't want to leave you, either," he whispered, his voice seductive, touching his pair of emeralds with a hint of mischief.

She developed a pink tinge in the face at his actions, and more over, at his words and the tone in his voice. "Y-you sound like a pervert," she remarked, attempting to sound teasing, only to end up stuttering instead. Tentatively, Botan unhooked her arm from his neck, making to move away from her comfortable position on his lap. However, she didn't even manage to move an inch when the hand on her back slid to her lithe waist, gently tugging her body flushed against his.

"Only with you, my sweet," His words, passing his lips and reaching her ears, sounded strangely similar to jingle bells, the nickname at the end causing her heartbeat to race.

 _Argh! What is this guy saying!_ She screamed in her mind, her mouth trembling a bit as she eyed him lean down, and felt him apply his lips on her smooth neck. A startled gasp involuntarily left her lips, the sound making him intensify his actions, lightly nipping on the skin of her pearl white throat. "W-wait," she tried to say, and shifted uncomfortably in his lap. A shiver of delight traveled down her spine, as she felt his mouth suckle on the flesh there, the feeling giving her a weird sensation and ticklish to her at the same time. Setting a shaky hand on his chest, Botan lightly pushed him away, and he let her, a sly smirk lingering at the edge of his lips as he felt her remove him from her neck. "W-what are you doing?" she questioned, a breathy pant erupting from her throat.

He thought she looked cute with that adorable rosy flush on her cheeks and her mouth tugged down into a thin line. Despite the frown on her lips, Kurama was well aware she enjoyed his touches just as much as he enjoyed initiating them. His smirk widened ever so slightly. "I _am_ supposed to make you fall for me, am I not?" he stated more than asked as he tilted his head at her. "What better way to do that than touch you with my fingers and kiss you with my mouth, dearest?"

 _You don't have to make me. I already am_ , she thought, but did not voice her musings out loud. Instead, she watched him near their proximity, and allowed him to place soft, open-mouthed kisses from her jawline to her ear. Her body began to quiver as she felt him part his lips, his pearl white teeth softly nipping on her earlobe and lightly tugging up and down. Then, all of a sudden, his tongue darted out and teasingly licked the sensitive skin, drawing teasing circles as a whimper escaped her lips.

"Does it feel good?" he whispered the question gently into her ear, the feel of her figure shivering against the hard contours of his form causing him to let out a breathy pant. Really, the girl should stop reacting so violently against his simple touches, or else he might lose it for real.

But, of course, Botan being Botan, she was always a bit too stubborn to admit her feelings sometimes. "N-no, of course not…" she tried vainly to deny, despite her fingers that had already wove themselves into his red mane, running through the long, silky tresses.

Kurama smiled. _Didn't I already tell her that she sucks at lying?_ He didn't say anything, but pulled away to meet her gaze and stare at her face which by now, he assumed was as red as his hair. Although, just as he leaned away, Botan was swift to hide her flushing features, quickly burying her head into his broad shoulder. Startled by the sudden action, Kurama blinked at the top of her head. His smile then returned to his lips as he felt her hands grip tightly at his shirt, as if afraid he would take her by the shoulders and push her off of him so he could see her. _How cute._ But then again, well, he would be lying if he said he didn't plan on doing that at first.

A few moments – just a few moments of her hugging him like that, waiting for her blush to fully disappear while he held her patiently and ran his tender fingers through her sky blue strands, waiting for her until she was ready to look at him – a few moments that felt like forever, but neither wanted to move. And then, when she finally did, slowly pulling away from his shoulder, and tentatively, met his gaze, Kurama couldn't help but smile. Indeed, there was still a tint on her cheeks, albeit it was a bit lighter in color now.

"You're unbelievable," she murmured softly, lowering her eyes to her lap.

"How so?"

"How could you just… go up and do something like that?" she asked slowly, hesitating a moment, as if afraid that she might say the wrong words.

A sly, lopsided grin reached its way to his lips. "Because I want to?" he playfully responded, the teasing grin widening a bit as he saw her blush turn ten shades darker.

"You know," Botan started, as she felt him lay his forehead on her small shoulder, his soft breathing against her flesh causing goosebumps to appear on her skin, "It's weird that we're engaged, but we still haven't discuss the wedding date yet."

"Yes." He trailed his fingers to her back, lazily drawing little circles on the spot. "Well, father wanted to discuss it when we first reunited at my parents' place, but then you went and stomp out the room to the garden." His words were tinted in mischief, as he placed his palm flat on her back, running it up and down repeatedly.

Botan wondered briefly if his small touches on her sensitive body were ever going to stop – not that she wanted them to, but then, it wasn't as if she would admit it. Her pink mouth formed an adorable pout at his choice of words. "Where you pushed me into the fountain," she added.

"After I kissed you," he mimicked. When the girl felled silent, Kurama knew he had won. He lifted his head from her shoulder, and halted his ministrations to pin a curious, but mirthful stare on her. "Did you like it, by the way?"

Another crimson shade crept up her cheeks. _Argh! I'm going to go crazy if he keeps this up!_ She screamed in her mind, and without even uttering one word out as a response, slowly moved away from his lap. When he didn't stop her, his hands pulling away, Botan felt a surge of a relief but an overwhelming wave of disappointment as his warmth gradually left her body, but she tried not to show it.

Kurama figured the girl might struggle if he didn't release her, and true enough, the dark blush on her lovely features, and her lightning-speed movement to get off the bed, was testimony enough. _Ah, Botan. You never stop amusing me_ , he mused to himself, and scrutinized her supposedly angry expression as she shot a glare at him. Clearly, the effect wore off because of the rosy flush on her cheeks.

"More importantly, you really stink," she attempted to change the subject, trying hard not to stammer, "Aren't you going to take a shower?"

"Aren't you going to join me?" he shot back in a seductive tone, smirking as her blush reddened.

"O-of course not!" she eventually stuttered, and felt the sudden urge to kick herself in the shin as a chuckle erupted from his throat, echoing in the room and seeming to rumble through her whole being. He stood from the bed, and his fit of chuckles dying down, fading into thin air, he headed for the door.

"Aw, and here I thought we could bathe together like we used to when we were kids," he spoke to himself, purposely talking a bit louder so that she could hear him.

True enough, she did. "Disgusting pervert!" she cried out indignantly, one arm shooting up and grabbing the pillow. She threw it at his face, but the door had shut tight before it could hit its target.

Kurama's amused chuckle was muffled through the door.

* * *

Shizuru was searching through her closet for the perfect clothes to wear when she nearly tripped on one of her miniskirts. Either she was nervous or being extra clumsy today, Shizuru dared not think of why she was acting more like her best friend, Botan.

A heavy sigh sounded in the air. "I'm hopeless…" she murmured, walking backwards towards the bed and flopping down on it. She stared at the heaps of clothes on the floor. "What should I do?" she asked worriedly, heaving another sigh.

Glancing down on her cell phone, Shizuru began calculating the various ways she could solve her problem. The clothes weren't much of a problem; she had more than enough time she needed to choose a suitable outfit. But, her wreaking nerves were. If she didn't do anything about this, she wouldn't be able to do anything right… much less, when she had plans on meeting someone today.

She seized the piece of machinery in her hands, and flipped the lid open, pressing her contacts list and scrolling down until she found the name she was looking for. Clicking the call button, Shizuru placed the phone near her ear, waiting for the other person to pick up.

* * *

Botan was trying to get rid of her blush by thinking some thoughts unrelated to a certain redhead when her cell phone, all of a sudden, vibrated on the bed, the vibrations causing the bed to shake lightly. She blinked, the abrupt interruption successfully diminishing the red tinge on her cheeks.

She reached for it and flipped the lid open. Her confused features brightened up into a wide, toothy grin at the name 'Shizuru' glaring at her in white letters on the screen. Accepting the call, Botan hovered the piece of machinery over her ear, her voice dripping with her usual cheeriness as she spoke, "Ah, Shizuru? What is it?"

There was some shuffling on the other line followed by the sound of the older woman clearing her throat in discomfort. Botan's smile wavered as she blinked at this, baffled but curious as to what was probably bothering her friend.

" _Hey, B. Sorry for disturbing you. You free right now?_ " Shizuru inquired from the other line, her voice somewhat laced in uncertainty.

Further bewildered with Shizuru's odd behavior, Botan crinkled her forehead in a deep frown. The former rarely apologized for 'disturbing', preferring to just up and call someone even in the middle of night so she could cure her boredom. More importantly, why wasn't she sounding like her normal, confident self anyway? Nevertheless, Botan knew she had to answer.

"Yeah," she responded, and out of habit, nodded her head, "I'm free, I guess. We don't really have work today and I'm pretty much stuck in the house all day." Botan pulled her legs up the bed and bended her knees to her chest as she laid her back against the headboard. A flash of red hair and a pair of vibrant emerald irises suddenly entered the recesses of her mind. _Well, since I'm stuck with_ _ **him**_ _, I don't really mind._

" _Oh._ " Shizuru's voice echoed in her ears and snapped her back to reality. " _Well, that's great then. Um… is Kurama there?_ "

"He's taking a shower. Why? Is there something you need to ask him?" Botan asked in wonderment.

" _Huh? Oh, uh, no. Just… um, can I ask you to something from me, Botan?_ "

Shizuru's absent-minded 'Huh?', her lack of her usual assertive responses and her request struck Botan as slightly weird. There must be something going on with the brown-haired woman. Regardless, if one of her friends were in need of her assistance, as a true friend, there was no way she could refuse.

"Yeah." Again, she nodded. "Sure. What is it?"

The other line felled silent for a moment, as if the person was contemplating over something. " _Well, um, you see, I have a date this noon and…_ "

Shizuru didn't even get to finish her sentence when a feminine squeal erupted from the blue-haired girl's throat. "Is that true? Wow! Who's the lucky guy? I'm _so_ happy for you!" Ah, no wonder her friend sounded so timid; she must be nervous over her date!

… Oh, wait. Then again, it wasn't as if this was the first time Shizuru went on a date, so there wasn't any particular reason for her to be nervous, right? Hmm…

Shizuru came off hesitant as she replied, " _Well… it's Kuronue…_ "

Botan almost felled off the bed.

"What was that?!"

* * *

Her friend's loud cry of, " _What was that?!_ " caused Shizuru to place the phone far away from her ear in fear of rupturing her precious hearing senses. Ouch, that kind of hurt. Couldn't Botan act… well, less surprised?

 _Then again, this is still surprising to me as well, so I guess I can understand her quite a bit_ , Shizuru mused as she expelled a deep sigh, before putting her cell phone back to her ear. There were some incoherent sentences resonating from the other line, causing Shizuru to briefly wonder if her friend was alright.

" _H-how did you and him end up… uhh…_ " That was the clearest sentence Shizuru heard from the other girl after a few more moments of waiting for her to calm down.

A bright crimson shade crept up her cheeks as Shizuru began to tell her tale…

* * *

 _"_ _Ah! Shizuru-chan! Let me walk you home!"_

 _Shizuru turned around to see the black-haired man, Kuronue, bidding her other friends goodbye before sauntering his way to her. Her face started to heat up as he flashed her a charming smile, causing her poor heart to thump louder in her chest. She tried to appear nonchalant as she normally would as he greeted her, "It's already nighttime. It's not good for a lady like you to be wandering by herself."_

 _Shizuru couldn't help but scoff. She might like the guy, but she was no way in the mood of being treated like a pretty little princess who couldn't take care of herself. Besides, she was stronger than her little brother, Kuwabara, in terms of strength and fist-fighting. If some guy came and started being all perverted with her, she'd just punched him until his teeth felled off._

 _They walked side by side on the empty road._

 _"_ _Why would you think_ _ **I'd**_ _need any of your help anyway? I'm perfectly capable of walking home myself. Why don't you go ahead and walk Yukina or Keiko home? Especially Yukina, for god's sake. She's pretty defenseless," came Shizuru's blunt response, although inwardly as those words escaped her lips, she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. She didn't worry much about Keiko or Yukina falling for Kuronue, as the former had her tough boyfriend, Yusuke Urameshi, whilst the latter had had a crush on her brother, Kazuma, for as long as she could remember. But, she_ _ **did**_ _worry over the possibility of her own crush liking one of her best friends in_ _ **that**_ _way._

 _A laugh began to build in Kuronue's chest, before erupting from his throat. "Ah, is that so? Well, Keiko-chan and Yukina-chan have Koenma-san to drive them home, anyway, so they'll be okay. But, you, on the other hand, my dear, is walking back to your apartment, so I_ _ **have**_ _to protect you, don't I?" he said, his voice laced with a teasing edge as he gave her a light smirk._

 _Shizuru shot him a glare, attempting to look angry, but failing miserably as the effect clearly wore off due to the faint pink coloring her cheeks. "Who the hell are you calling 'my dear'?" she snorted, and averted her gaze. However, she no longer objected to his generous offer – both because she was aware he wouldn't leave her alone even if she did and the fact that she wanted to be alone with him a little longer._

 _"_ _Always the feisty one, aren't you?" Was it just her imagination or did Kuronue really just_ _ **purr**_ _? Almost as instantly as those words reverberated in her ears, a warm hand suddenly wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her dangerously close to the bodyguard, as he leaned closer to her ear. "I like that," he whispered, seductive and mischievous._

 _Eyes widening in surprise, Shizuru blushed darker and in one swift motion, shoved him off of her, albeit she did it a little too harshly due to her rampaging nerves. She said nothing and kept her eyes glued to her feet as Kuronue's grin spread from ear to ear, as if he didn't mind the brute force she accidentally used on him. The two continued their journey in dead silence, Shizuru unwilling to speak after all the embarrassing incident and Kuronue not wanting to chase her off with his shameless flirting._

 _"_ _Hey, Shizuru-chan?" he abruptly called, breaking off the silence._

 _The woman in question lifted her gaze to peer up at him. For some reason, he was smiling at her… in a somewhat gentle manner. Shizuru, who wasn't used to receiving that kind of smile from someone she was interested in, quickly looked away, her blush infuriatingly deepening a little._

 _"_ _W-what?" she stammered, her voice barely a whisper, but she knew he heard her._

 _Shizuru was vividly aware of his shoulder brushing against hers as he moved an inch closer. "Go on a date with me tomorrow?" he surprisingly asked._

 _She nearly tripped on her own two feet, but managed to catch herself before she could. "U-uh, what?" she croaked out, turning to look at him with eyes wide and questioning. "Are you serious?"_

 _Oddly enough, he nodded his head. And the grin on his charming features seemed to broaden. "Yeah, I am."_

 _"_ _W-why?"_

 _Suddenly, she felt a pair of warm lips pressed on her forehead. She watched him pull away, somehow unable to break off their eye contact despite her shock and embarrassment – and of course, overwhelming joy._

 _"_ _Because I like you."_

* * *

Botan was jumping up and down the bed, a girlish squeal echoing in the room as she voiced out her excitement, "Oh, my _gosh_! That's so sweet! Kuronue-san's surprisingly romantic. I'm so envious of you!"

" _Says the one engaged to a hot actor_ ," she heard Shizuru mumble in a low tone, but didn't bother to respond.

"Anyway, so what's the problem? If he likes you, then there's nothing wrong! Just be yourself," she advised the older woman.

" _That's just it, Botan! I'm so scared that I'll be such a nervous wreck that I end up being awkward_ ," Shizuru explained her concerns, " _I don't want to ruin the date. I mean, I really like him._ "

Botan was silent for a moment, but she undoubtedly understood what her friend was trying to say. "I see… And, what do you want me to do? I want to help you if I can, but I doubt that I can be of much use."

The other line was reduced into a deafening silence for a couple of seconds.

" _Can you and Kurama come with?_ "


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 16**

"Huh?" Botan blinked her amethyst eyes, her mouth gawking open in utter shock. "Why?" she couldn't help but ask. To say that her friend would even request such a thing… was unbelievable and completely unpredictable. Botan never would have assumed Shizuru would say that, with the latter usually being able to take care of herself without relying on anyone.

" _Like I said, I'm such a nervous wreck I'm scared I end up coming off as awkward. If you and Kurama are there, then you could at least help me when the time comes!_ " Shizuru explained in a high pitched voice that sounded like a far cry from her normal, calm self.

 _She must really like him_ , Botan mused to herself, as a small smile slowly crept up her lips, an overwhelming joy for her friend suddenly invading her senses. "I'm all up for it, if I can help you," she uttered, her confused tone gone in an instant, replaced with one that seemed as if she was a moment away from breaking into a fit of giggles.

She heard a sigh of relief from the other line. " _Oh, thank you. I knew I could rely on you, B._ "

"Why didn't you ask Keiko and Yusuke though?"

" _Yusuke's still not back from that training shit or whatever that he'd went and run off to with my idiot brother, Kazuma. And besides, are you freaking serious? Even if he_ _ **was**_ _here, I would never ask for his help! Good lord, he might make it worse…_ " Shizuru's voice trailed off, reducing into a few incoherent mumbles.

A laugh poured out Botan's throat. "Yeah, I guess so," she said, "Anyway, I suppose I can help you out here. Let me tell Shuichi first, though. It wouldn't be right if I agreed to this without asking him if he wants in or not. Then, when I finally get his answer, I'll call you back, okay?" she asked, whilst shifting her gaze to the door. _Although, getting him to agree might not be such an easy thing…_

" _Right, I understand. I'll wait. Just don't be late, alright? Kuronue's supposed to pick me up at 1:00 o'clock. We'll meet up at 1:15 at the Miura coffee shop._ "

"1:15 in the morning?" Botan joked, in an attempt to ease the tension a little. She could tell from the nervousness laced in her friend's voice that she was feeling uneasy.

She succeeded when Shizuru let out a laugh, although mocking as it was. " _Ha-ha, funny, B._ "

Another laugh began to build in Botan's chest, before erupting from her lips. "Anyway, I'll be there. 1:15. At the Miura coffee shop, right?" she inquired, as she casted her eyes over the clock hanging on the wall. _Two hours and a half left…_

" _Right. Thanks, Botan. I really appreciate it_ ," Shizuru's relieved voice reverberated in her ears, causing a smile to promptly curl up at the corners of her mouth.

"Sure, Shizuru. Anything for a friend."

* * *

It was about five minutes after the call Botan had with Shizuru that Kurama finally finished his bath. Seriously, who knew the guy could take so long in the shower? Must be due to the fact that he was an actor, and he had to keep his hygiene as clean as possible at all costs…

Well, not that Botan really minded, with her red-haired fiancé half-naked and standing in front of her with his strong biceps, well developed abs and that muscular chest. He had one towel slung across his shoulders, the other end of the white towel he used to rub his hair in an effort to dry it off, and another towel wrapped around his… ahem, _lower_ body parts.

Botan's gaze subconsciously trailed lower, but as Kurama eventually turned, settling his cell phone back on the desk, she swiftly averted her eyes, a dark crimson blush heating up her cheeks. She inwardly hoped that he hadn't caught her staring, or else, what an embarrassment would it had been if he did.

Fortunately, he didn't, as he was busy searching through his drawers for some clothes.

"Who was that on the phone?" Botan asked, as her blush eventually turned a lighter shade, the redness across her cheeks reduced to nothing but a cute, pink tinge.

Kurama took out a white, simple undershirt, and a pair of blue jeans, and threw them on an unoccupied space beside her on the bed, before looking up at her. He arched an eyebrow at her pink, flushed face, but at her response of avoiding his questioning gaze, he didn't bother to prod her, and instead, settled with a small smile.

"That was Hiei," he answered after a moment of gazing at her countenance, "He texted me that I owe him for driving away Takahiro for me. It took us a while to agree on some sort of gift for him in return of his services."

Botan couldn't resist the rosy blush that crept up her cheeks as she watched him retrieve a pair of boxers from one of the top drawers. She looked away, and fixed her gaze on the boring, old wall, as he slid them up his legs.

"O-oh." She nodded her head, and could almost feel him grinning at her reaction. She could have sworn he noticed this time. "A-anyway, since you don't have any filming today, and I don't really have work either, I was thinking if… um… I don't know, m-maybe, w-we can go on a double d-date?" she offered, inwardly hitting herself on the head with each time she stammered out her words.

Kurama held back a chuckle at her stuttered sentences, and unwrapping the towel from his waist, he placed it on a chair situated at the far end of the bed. Without even putting his pants on, Kurama flopped down the bed next to her, vividly aware of her jerk in surprise at his abrupt actions. He gave her a wolfish grin as he leaned in closer to her ear, nuzzling his nose against her jaw line. "With who, if I may ask?" he whispered, his hot breath fanning over the sensitive skin of her earlobe as he parted his lips, and nipped gently on the spot.

Botan involuntarily let out a whimper at the sensation, and took a moment to inhale a deep, calming breath, before placing her quivering hand on his chest and weakly shoving him away. He let her, the infuriating grin touching his lips broadening ever so slightly. Good grief! Was the man deliberately trying to drive her insane?

She could have sworn her face was as red as his hair – if not, redder – and had to resist the urge to cover her whole features with her hands as she felt his fingers languidly running through her silky tresses.

"K-Kuronue-san," she finally managed to croak out after what felt like forever. Kurama's fingers froze in her hair, as he regarded her with a startled expression mingled with a look of curiosity, "and Shizuru."

He blinked at her as he allowed the information to sink in, but he didn't remove his hand from her locks of blue hair. If he remembered correctly, Shizuru was… "That brown haired woman you work with?" he asked Botan for confirmation.

Botan felt her rattled nerves calm down a little as he halted his ministrations, seemingly focused on something else now. "Y-Yes."

"How did he…" Kurama trailed off. His best friend and a woman he barely knew? As promiscuous as Kuronue could be sometimes, he wouldn't really go for a random woman, preferring someone he was acquaintance with and met at least four times, before asking her on a date. _There must be something special about Shizuru_ , he thought. "More importantly, when did you guys arrange this entire double date thing?"

"Um… about five or so minutes ago…" came Botan's response as he eyed her fiddle with her thumbs nervously. Judging from her behavior, Kurama figured she was either still embarrassed at his earlier actions or really just wanted him to say yes. Maybe both, if he considered the possibilities a bit more.

He expelled a sigh. _Although, I'd much like it better if it was the two of us, I don't have much a choice, now do I?_ he mused to himself, before uttering out the words, "Alright, I get it. Let's go on this double date or whatever."

He saw Botan's lovely features brighten up in a wide, gleeful grin. "Really?" she beamed. "Really, really?"

"Yeah." He nodded his head, pinning a deadpanned stare on her form. "Really, really," he replied, albeit slightly sounding reluctant.

Botan sensed the hesitation in his voice, and the prospect that he was willing to do something he wasn't really up to for her sake, made her a bit too giddy, to the point she totally forgot his hand in her hair that had been the cause of her timidity. "Thank you, Shuichi!"

Kurama watched her ramble on and on about a few things he didn't bother to listen, until he realized that his fingers were still curled around her soft, strands of blue hair. An idea suddenly crossed his mind, prompting a teasing, lopsided smirk to appear on his lips, touching his emerald orbs with a gleam of mischief as he neared in proximity to the girl.

Botan wasn't aware of Kurama's mouth hovering above her ear, until a moment later, he blew a hot breath over the sensitive skin there, causing her to cut short her ramblings and let out a startled yelp as she nearly jumped literally two meters away from the bed. She turned to peer at him with wide eyes, her cheeks now flushed red in embarrassment, and couldn't help the shiver of delight that traveled down her spine as she met eye to eye contact with the predatory glint in his irises.

She gulped.

"K-Kurama, what are you doing?" she asked in a shaky voice, and made to get up from the bed. Her efforts were futile and fruitless however, as he was swift to catch her waist in his callous hand, keeping her still as he pulled her closer to him until her shoulder was flushed against his chest.

His

Bare

Chest

Good lord, the more Botan thought of it, the more she felt as if she would faint.

"Well," Kurama's voice was a little muffled as he trailed his warm mouth over her cheek, "I figured," This time, his lips found her smooth neck, "since I've agreed to the double date," He parted his lips to allow his wet tongue to dart out and playfully flick the skin there, the startled whimper he elicited from the girl, "I might as well get something in return," His pearl white teeth abruptly bit on her throat, causing the girl to jerk in his arms as he gently laid her on the bed.

Botan felt her heart thump loudly in her chest as she felt her back press against the sheets, Kurama's legs stuck between hers as he pinned her down, his arms placed firmly on either side of her head to grant her no means of escaped. When he pulled away from her neck, Botan finally regained her ability to speak, trying desperately to collect her composure as he gaped down at her, his intense gaze threatening to heat her whole body on fire.

"W-we can't," she managed to protest, turning her face away when he attempted to kiss her on the lips, but caught her cheek instead, "I promised Shizuru… t-that we would be t-there, at the Miura coffee shop, at 1:15."

"Why the rush?" he whispered, his voice slightly desperate, with an underlying frustration, as he tilted her chin, and pulled her head back to meet his gaze. "We still probably have more than two hours."

"B-but—"

"Be quiet, and don't complain," he growled, cutting off her protests, and without another word, slammed his mouth on hers. He kept the kiss simple, and gentle, as he felt her struggle a few more moments, before she eventually gave in, a contented sigh leaving her lips as she began to respond, her initially still lips moving rhythmically against his.

He could feel his control slipping as her soft tongue shyly probed at his lower lip, timidly asking for permission to enter. A feral growl escaped his throat, and instead of granting her that permission, he drove his tongue into her mouth instead, the girl's muffled cry further encouraging him to intensify his actions, his hands quickly finding residence on her lithe figure and running up her sensitive sides.

Botan shivered under his touch, and she tried desperately to stroke back against his tongue, the battle for dominance clearly one-sided with him fully in charge. She thought of something to catch him off guard so she could be the one in control for once, and eventually came up with an idea. She inwardly grinned to herself as she trailed her hands into his hair, tugging at the long red tresses, his reaction of breaking off the kiss to let out a groan at the feel well-deserved to be called priceless.

She took this as a chance to crush her lips against his, surprising the actor, as she flipped them around, now lying on top of him as she pulled away a second later to study his half astonished and half amused stare.

"Not quite the submissive type, are you?" he whispered, his voice slightly hoarse, as he watched her lean down, her hot mouth attacking his throat as he threw his head back.

"Not really," came her muffled reply, as she parted her lips a little to suck on his sensitive neck. Another throaty groan left his lips, as one of his hands found her hair, his fingers weaving into her blue strands, before tugging them gently to force her head upwards. Her gaze met his momentarily, and he was quick to pull her down for another breathtaking kiss.

"Unfortunately, neither am I," he murmured, as he bit playfully at the plump skin of her lower lip.

"Shuichi…" she moaned, her eyelids involuntarily fluttering close as she let him kiss her passionately, the teasing motion of their lips moving back and forth against one another, and their dancing tongues reducing her to a shivering mess.

Kurama felt an odd pull at his heart as his name passed her lips in such a manner. "You know," he said, his voice muffled in the kiss, although he was not willing to stop, "I think I've never heard you call me Kurama. Not even once. You're the only one who still calls me Shuichi…"

"Is that a bad thing?" she whispered in a soft voice, before pulling apart to stare up at him in worry. "Do you want me to stop?"

He shook his head, and for some reason unknown to her, smiled a gentle, warm smile at her, his gaze bordering on loving as he gazed into her eyes.

"No," he said, before leaning in for another kiss, "I want you to be the only one to say my name,

My real name."


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 17**

"Why are you two so late?!"

Kuronue's loud, furious roar echoed in the coffee store, reverberating the walls and threatening to break the mirrors into pieces as a considerable amount of customers turned their heads to give the owner of the voice weird looks.

Kurama tilted the top of his cap up a little to study his friend with an annoyed stare. "Calm down, Kuro. You're going to turn this whole store into a museum," he said, his voice calm, but the underlying irritation was barely inconceivable in the tone he used.

Kuronue parted his mouth to make a smart remark, only to blink and rotate his head to the right to scan the faces of the other customers in the shop. All were regarding him with stares that seemed bordering on expressing their dislike of his rude outburst, and some were whispering to themselves over his lack of manners. Some words he didn't hear, whilst others he caught but didn't bother to acknowledge. Blood immediately rushed to his cheeks, and he flopped down once again on his seat. He spared a brief glare at his red-haired friend, whose uncomfortable expression slightly matched his.

"This is your fault for being late," Kuronue grumbled as he shot daggers at Kurama, his heated glare threatening to burn a hole into the latter's head. Kurama formed a deep crease on his forehead, as he and Botan sat down in front of Shizuru and Kuronue, and made to say something.

"I'm sorry, Kuronue-san," Botan's polite voice chimed in just in time to cut short the smart retort that had barely managed to escape her fiance's lips. "We… uh, we lost track of time," she tried to make up an excuse. She felt bad for lying, but she couldn't possibly tell Kuronue, and much less, Shizuru the truth, now could she? What would they say about the pair of engaged lovers' reason of being tardy was because they were too preoccupied making out to notice the time? _Well, it's not that far off, anyway._

Kuronue opened his mouth, but once more, shut it close again when the revelation hit him that he couldn't even utter out a word. The girl seemed so nice with that wide, ear spread to ear grin she wore on her girlish features, he didn't have the heart to be reprimand the duo. Kurama should feel lucky he had Botan, lest he would have found himself getting his butt kicked by Kuronue. Although, thinking back on it now, Kurama probably would have kicked _his_ ass, so perhaps, _he_ was the one ought to be careful that Botan was there to stop him from doing anything remotely stupid.

"Well, it's fine, isn't it?" Shizuru finally interrupted the 'conversation', after a while of remaining silent, "They're here, so what does it matter, really?" she stated more than asked. Although, truth be told, she would be lying if she said she wasn't the least bit angry that the other pair was late. Like Kuronue, she was impatient when it came to the waiting department. But, knowing her friend, Botan, she wouldn't do it on purpose. _I already owe her a lot for doing this for me, anyway_ , she mused as she felt herself relax for the first time at the eventual appearance of Kurama and Botan. _I was beginning to grow so nervous I thought I'd faint._ She inwardly expelled a sigh of relief.

Kuronue seemed thoughtful, as if he was considering her words. With one light shrug of his right shoulder, and the most charming smile he could pull thrown at his date, he answered, "Yes, I suppose you're right," with a tone that sounded oddly too cheerful.

Kurama quirked an eyebrow in interest as he watched his friend continue on his shameless flirting with the brown haired woman, who was more or less too nervous to even properly respond to his advances. Well, putting the shameless flirting aside, Kuronue was never the type to agree so easily with a woman's words, no matter how hot or beautiful she was. The black-haired lad preferred to listen to his opinion than another's, even ones that came from his closest friend, Kurama and Hiei, so it came as a shock that he would just say 'yes' to something Shizuru said.

Obviously, Kuronue had taken quite a liking to her. And not those usual 'I want to fuck her so bad' liking he'd normally take on sexy women, but the genuine 'I think I have a crush on you' one. It was clear from his different demeanor towards Shizuru, and the way his features would light up every time they talked to one another.

"Hey, man." All of a sudden, Kuronue's voice interrupted his chain of thoughts, and he was abruptly aware of the spoon pointed accusingly at his nose. "You're not making your stupid observation again, are you? I hate it when you do that."

Kurama rolled his eyes, and promptly slapped the spoon away from his face, as he pinned a stoic gaze on his friend's mouth, which was forming a considerably deep scowl. "Only because you know I realize a lot of things people don't usually realize when I do," he responded in a blunt tone.

Kuronue's brows furrowed. "Exactly," he uttered anyway.

A light smirk tugging at his lips, Kurama shrugged one shoulder as he fixed his eyes on the cup of coffee settled in front of him. "I see you went and ordered coffee for us before we even arrived," he said, instead of answering.

Kuronue, irked at the fact that his best friend just brushed him off like a speck of dust in the air, rolled his eyes in slight irritation. "Duh! Good observation," came his response, the words dripping with sarcasm.

A red eyebrow twitched, but nothing more. "Thanks," Kurama managed to mutter out with the utmost composure he could summon.

"Sure." Kuronue nodded his head, his earlier annoyance soon forgotten at the word that escaped his friend's lips. It was rare to hear the redhead thank him for something he did. It wasn't as if he didn't appreciate him enough, Kuronue knew, but it was more because Kurama was well aware that Kuronue got the message that he appreciated everything he'd done for him, even without needing to say the words 'thank you'. Regardless, Kuronue wouldn't be ashamed to admit that he felt a surge of pride that swelled his whole heart as Kurama finally told him 'thanks'.

"The sweets will be here soon," Shizuru announced, "I hope you don't mind it, Kurama, but we were hoping that you would be the one to pay for all this."

The redhead nodded his head, not even the least bit surprised. He already suspected that Kuronue was the one who suggested it. "Alright, I don't really mind. It's not like I don't have any money with me now. I guess you could say I expected this. Besides," He shot Kuronue a smirk, "I owe Kuronue a lot, so this is the least I can do for him."

Kuronue was utterly amazed as those words echoed in the air. "Oh! I see you have reformed, Kurama! I'm proud of you!" he said, feigning a dramatic sigh and faking surprise, as he placed a hand on his chest for effect. "Botan-chan must have been a great influence on you, huh?"

The last sentence was clearly meant to tease him, and Kurama had to resist the urge to punch Kuronue in the face.

A laugh poured out Botan's lips, and the comforting sound succeeded to soothe his annoyance. "I wouldn't say that. Shuichi's always been this way; he just doesn't show how much he actually cares."

Kuronue burst into a howl of laughter as well, as he nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, I get it, I get it. He is. But, he's been more… well, I dunno, open-hearted about his feelings since he met you."

"Oh, really?" Botan raised an eyebrow at this, sparing a fleeting glance at the redhead. The brief glance didn't go unnoticed by Kurama, but was not acknowledged with nothing but a blush coloring his cheeks.

"Shut up," Kurama grumbled under his breath, his reaction causing his best friend and his fiancé to laugh even louder. Something that made his blush infuriatingly turn a shade darker ever so slightly.

"Anyway, Botan-chan," Kuronue started as the fit of laughter diminished into thin air, "Come to think of it, you're the only one who calls Kurama by his real name."

"Huh?" Shizuru's startled voice chimed in. "Is that true? Does no one else call him Shuichi?"

Kuronue shook his head. "Nu-uh. This guy," He pointed his thumb at the redhead, who seemed less than comfortable with the prospect that the subject was now focused on him, "always tells off anyone who tries to call him Shuichi. He hates that a lot, actually. Even his stepfather, Kazuya-san, isn't allowed to call him that."

"Oh…" Shizuru's mouth formed an 'o' in understanding and she nodded her head.

It was Botan's turn to be taken by surprise. "Really?" she asked, faintly aware of the pink tinge she'd developed on her cheeks.

Kuronue nodded once more. "Yeah, really."

"I-I see." Botan had to take a moment to inhale a deep breath and lightly pinch her cheek to ensure herself that this wasn't a dream. A genuinely joyful smile subconsciously reached her lips as she thought, _So I'm the only one who calls him Shuichi…_ It wasn't as if she never noticed that small fact. She might be a ditz at times, but she wasn't deaf or stupid. But, it was just because she assumed that everyone merely automatically called him Kurama, due to the fact that it was his more commonly known name. She never would have thought that he didn't like people calling him Shuichi… and to think that she was the only one allowed to… _Argh! Control yourself, Botan! Don't let your happiness show too much!_ She told herself, only to fail miserably as she involuntarily let out a giggle.

Clearly, she was pleased.

A rosy flush crept up Kurama's cheeks as his ears perked up, catching the sound of her girlish giggles that seemed to echo in his ears like a soft lullaby. "W-well, of course. It'd be weird if you, of all people, suddenly started calling me Kurama. P-plus, y-you're as stubborn as a mule. Even if I told you not to, you would still call me Shuichi anyway," he uttered, attempting to sound completely calm, only to inwardly kick himself in the shin when his efforts were futile, and he stammered instead. Ah, the embarrassment.

Botan blinked.

Shizuru blinked.

Kuronue was on the verge of laughing his heart out.

Kurama felt like he would faint with all the stares he was getting from the other three.

Afraid that he might come off embarrassed with his blushing countenance, the redhead made to take some damage control. Yeah, some damage control.

"By the way, how did you and Shizuru-san end up together?" Kurama inquired as soon as he regained some composure. He felt himself relax, and couldn't resist the urge to give out a victorious smirk as Kuronue flushed beet red in the face. Shizuru nearly spat out the cup of coffee she was sipping on.

"Well…" The black haired lad casted his gaze to his coffee in some pathetic attempt to calm himself, "I just… kinda asked her out," he managed to finish. The employee working at the coffee store strolled to their table with a tray of various sweet cakes.

"Oh?" One red eyebrow arched his way. "I never would have thought you were the type who would go for a woman such as Shizuru-san."

"Shizuru-chan's a great girl," Kuronue found himself blurting out before he could stop himself, "Sure, she might not be as cute or as feminine as other girls but I like her just for her real self."

Kurama leaned back in his seat, as Kuronue silently cursed himself for sounding so defensive. "My, you sound so serious, Kuro. You must really… like her a lot."

"Will you guys stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Shizuru murmured, trying to sound annoyed, but the effect clearly wore off as she sported a bright crimson blush on her cheeks.

Kurama responded by sending her an apologetic grin. "I'm sorry, Shizuru-san, if I offended you. I didn't mean to come off in such a way… but, well… I must say I'm curious as to how my dear friend, Kuronue, would be so attracted to you."

"I'm surprised you even bothered using the honorifics 'san', anyway," Kuronue muttered under his breath.

Kurama ignored him. "There must be something special about you," he said to Shizuru, already anticipating an answer.

The brown-haired woman creased her brows. "Well, I'm not really _that_ special…"

"Shizuru-chan _is_ special," Kuronue blurted out, "She's different than the other women. She's not afraid to be herself. She's strong, she's not vain, and… she's just different, okay?" _And I would never admit it, but because I already know she has a crush on me, I ended up liking her back. Not that I like anyone who likes me… but, well, with me already being interested in her, personality-wise, it was bound to happen._ Ah… but explaining that would be too embarrassing.

Kurama blinked at the honest response, although honesty had always somewhat been a bit of a trait of Kuronue. Even so, to say that his friend truly harbored feelings for the blushing woman beside him was definitely a surprise, much more when he blatantly admitted it in front of them – albeit, as subtly as possible.

"I see…" Botan's voice disrupted his musings, snapping him out of his reverie. He peered down at her to see her sporting a dreamy look on her lovely features. "Wow, Kuronue-san, you're such a romantic!"

He could have sworn Kuronue almost choked on the piece of chocolate cake he had been so preoccupied in devouring. His suspicions were confirmed when Kuronue started coughing.

"I-I am?" Kuronue asked, after his coughing fit subsided, before disappearing into thin air.

"Uh-huh!" Botan nodded all too happily. "I think it's really sweet that you think of Shizuru that way!" she gushed in a way only girls could manage to pull, causing the men in the group to sweatdrop, before turning to look at her brown haired friend. "You're so lucky, Shizuru! I'm so jealous!"

Shizuru laughed. "Why are you jealous of me when you have a hot actor as a fiancé?"

"Well…"

"That's right," Kurama abruptly butted in, one hand reaching out to cup her chin and tilt her head upwards to meet his gaze. Botan, caught off guard, nearly let out a startled cry. "You shouldn't be jealous of her when you have _me_ ," he half growled, his eyes glaring but the gleam of possessiveness in his pools of emeralds was undeniable.

Botan's face began to heat up. Was he really jealous? She didn't mean it for real… "I-I was only saying…" she told him in a reassuring tone, but he refused to let go.

The redhead proceeded to stare at her, scrutinizing the rosiness coloring her cheeks and her attempt to look away from his unwavering gape; the more he gazed at her, the more embarrassed he got. Good grief, what good would it do if he got envious of his own best friend?

Heaving a sigh – and ignoring Kuronue's and Shizuru's teasing grins – Kurama eventually released her chin and Botan tried not to seem too disappointed as she felt his warmth gradually left her skin.

"Look at you two, so lovey-dovey!" Kuronue playfully said. If he was sitting beside Kurama right now, he would be nudging him by the elbow.

Kurama fixed his cap and lowered his head so it would cover half of his countenance and the bright pink blush on his cheeks. "In what way are _we_ lovey-dovey?"

"In every way?" Kuronue answered, instead of asked, and if Kurama wasn't busy trying to hide his blush, he would probably be melted into nothing but a pile of mush on the floor under the redhead's heated glare.

Botan couldn't help but giggle as she watched the two best friends exchange a few more sentences to one another, each word tinted with more sarcasm than the last. _They're so close…_

"Botan," Shizuru called, the sound of her name reverberating in her ears causing the younger girl to snap back into reality.

Amethyst irises looked up to see the smiling older woman. "What is it, Shizuru?" she asked, returning the smile with her own.

Shizuru didn't answer at once, and instead, went for the fork and the spoon before cutting through her vanilla cake. Botan, suddenly aware of how famished she was, followed suit, copying the actions with her own strawberry one.

"You're lucky," Shizuru abruptly uttered, her words slightly muffled as she chewed on her sweet treat.

Botan chewed some more on her strawberry cake, before gulping it down. She pinned a bewildered stare on her best friend. "What do you mean?"

"Kurama," Shizuru started, her smile widening slightly as she tilted her head at the redhead. Botan trailed her eyes to her fiancé, realizing that he was too busy arguing with Kuronue to had heard what Shizuru said, before averting her attention back to the brown haired woman. "You're lucky to have him," she went on. "He really likes you."

Botan nearly spat out her small piece of strawberry cake when she slipped another one into her mouth. "W-what?" she tried to ask, only to have the revelation hit her that her question came off a little vague. _I should ask her how she knows that than saying 'What?' like I'm dumbfounded or something… Not that I'm not, of course._ But, before she could even utter out her inquiry properly, the boys had finished their 'discussion' and was now asking Shizuru something Botan, to be honest, didn't quite care about and didn't really understand.

"Shizuru-san, do you really believe that lefties die faster than righties?" Kurama questioned, his words so abrupt and odd that Shizuru was reduced to a gawking state.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Botan asked, after having gotten over the shock and bafflement.

"You heard me," Kurama stated, instead of answering her question, "Do you really believe that left handed people die faster than right handed people?"

"But, scientific study shows that—" Kuronue went to retort before Botan could give out an appropriate response – not that she really could.

"I don't care what scientific study shows! They're not always right. You don't know who die first, you dumbass," Kurama coldly cut him off. If they were sitting side by side, Botan could have sworn the two men would be shoving each other.

"Dumbass? Did you really just call me a dumbass? And yes, I know that! But, they're correct most of the time. All I said was that since there's a high possibility that you might die before me, I wanted to do something for your sake—"

"As much as I relish in the idea of you doing my every bidding, I do _not_ relish in the fact that you told me I might die first. For all you know, you could be dead this Christmas!"

"What the hell? Okay, bro. That was _so_ offensive! I never said _when_ you were gonna die, so you didn't have to curse me—"

"You're the one who started it! You offended me first by saying that left-handed people die earlier than right-handed people. I mean, you just don't say that to someone who's a lefty!"

"Hey, I was only stating a fact. How should I know you were going to act like a sensitive bitch over it?"

"Why I ought to—"

"Enough!" Shizuru roared angrily, having grown tired of listening to the entirely nonsensical bickering. She slammed a fist on the table, the wooden material shaking under the brute force.

The loud sound managed to silence the both of them.

Botan sweatdropped as she watched Shizuru scold them – or more like throw curses at them – for annoying her. Although, the men was far from willing to let her do all the screaming. Botan sipped nervously on her coffee, ignoring the other customers' weird stares and only observed from the sidelines as the trio's words became harsher and harsher with each passing second.

 _This is turning into one hell of a double date_ , she thought as she continued to sip on her cup of coffee. For some reason, she felt that the bitter taste somewhat cool down her own raging fire. _Well._ She turned to look at Shizuru. _At least she's gotten over being nervous._


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 18**

It took Botan nearly thirty minutes to calm everyone down, and now they were all seated calmly on their respective seats; Shizuru with a messy hair, Kurama with a few scratches on his face and Kuronue with a huge lump on his head.

"You guys should learn how to control your tempers," Botan reprimanded as she put away her third cup of coffee. "People were watching."

"It's not my fault," Kurama, who was poking his blueberry cake with a fork, grumbled from beside her.

"Actually," Kuronue started, and Botan had to suppress a heavy sigh, "Partly, it _is_ your fault."

"And none of it is yours?" Kurama retorted with a dark glare. The black haired lad sitting across him opened his mouth, making to sound out a protest… until Botan cleared her throat – rather impatiently, if I might add.

"Will you guys drop it? At least, Shizuru's learned her lesson," she scolded the men, her voice stern and her eyes narrowed dangerously in a fair warning. She wondered briefly how on earth she could be stuck with three of the most ill-tempered people in the whole world.

Shizuru slipped another small piece of her vanilla cake, her eyes closed and her movements poised. _Well, only because I don't want to go through all_ _ **that**_ _again._ She inwardly shuddered as the recollections of Botan's actions in shutting them up intruded her mind. _I'm beginning to see why she used to be feared by a lot of boys in the past._ Although her blue haired friend had not shown her complete strength and her own abilities in terms of fighting, Shizuru felt an inkling suspicion that she had been close to death.

"Yeah, yeah," Kurama waved a hand absent mindedly at his fiancé, "Whatever."

Botan ignored the nonchalant tone in his voice, and went to retrieve her phone in her pocket as the piece of machinery began to vibrate. Flipping the lid open, the girl realized that she had gotten a text from her green haired friend, Yukina. She opened it, her eyes scanning over the words and her mouth mouthing the sentences.

"Who is it?" Shizuru, who had been dead silent since the past few minutes, chimed in as the curiosity got the better of her.

"Oh, it's Yukina-chan," Botan answered in her usual cheery tone without looking up to meet the other woman's gaze, her fingers pressing on the buttons as she replied to the text. "She said Yusuke and Kuwabara are back from their training, and that Kuwabara's now at her house."

"I'd bet that he's flirting with her," Shizuru mumbled under her breath as she shook her head. Botan let a soft giggle pour out her lips at the words.

"Who are you talking about?" Kurama asked, interrupting the girls' conversation and disrupting Botan's fit of giggles. He arched an eyebrow at his betrothed in wonder.

Botan didn't answer at once, and instead took a sip of her coffee. "Kuwabara is Shizuru's little brother. And Yusuke is Keiko's boyfriend."

"And let me guess," Kuronue said, with one hand under his chin, "This Kuwabara has a crush on Yukina-chan?"

Botan nodded her head. "Yup, he's liked her for as long as I can remember."

"Oddly enough," Shizuru muttered, as she reached one hand into her breast pocket, retrieving her pack of cigarettes, "she seems to like him back," she finished as she opened the packet, pulled out one cigarette and placed it in her mouth.

"I think it's cute," Botan said, heaving a contented sigh, "When I watch them, I get the feeling they're willing to do anything for each other." A smile curled at the edge of her lips. "The same goes for Yusuke and Keiko…" She leaned back in her seat and scratched her head, an awkward giggle leaving her throat. "I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'm kind of jealous of them. I want to feel what they have at least once."

Kurama eyed the blue haired girl as she continued to talk some more with Shizuru, her words ringing inside his ears and repeating over and over in his head like a broken lullaby, almost seeming to call out to him. If she wanted someone who was willing to do anything for her, then _he_ would be more than happy to be that person. _He_ loved her more than anyone… more than anything in the world. _He_ would do everything he could to give her all the joy he could. _Everything…_

Botan blinked as she felt a warm hand clasp on hers, and descended her eyes to the joined fingers on her lap. Peering up the arm that didn't belong to her, she looked at the owner – and there Kurama was, staring back at her, his piercing emerald orbs searching through her soul and intensely gazing at her. For a moment, Botan nearly forgot how to breathe.

"Instead of being jealous of what people have," the redhead started, his expression serious, "Look at what's in front of you."

He watched as her amethyst irises widened at his words, the rosy shade coming to color her cheeks more than accentuate her porcelain skin. "K-Kurama…" she murmured, but what was she supposed to say? _Look at what's in front of me… does he mean…_ Her blush considerably deepened at the thought that crossed her mind, the addition of his hand lightly squeezing hers making her heart pound.

Kuronue couldn't help but smile as he watched the scene before him unfold. Kurama and Botan fitted so well together. And even though neither expressed their feelings with words, it was clear from the way they acted with one another. As he continued to observe them, he couldn't help but realize that the two had this air around them: so full of harmony, so loving, so passionate, so trusting, so understanding… so in sync… Watching them now, it felt as if those seven years of separation never happened. They loved and understood each other desperately so, even in silence as they sat there gaping at one another.

The black haired lad shifted his gaze to the brown haired woman sitting next to him, also eyeing the scene with her own smile on her beautiful features. When he first saw her, he thought she seemed harsh – tough even – with her unabashed self, and her fighting skills. And he would even willingly admit that he liked her for those traits. But seeing the gentleness that grazed her face and touched her pretty brown eyes, Kuronue thought she looked awfully feminine for once. And he couldn't help but feel he liked her even more now. It would be great if they could experience the same thing as Kurama and Botan shared.

 _Soon._ He smiled a warm, deep-promised smile. _In time…_

"What?" Shizuru asked, as she finally noticed his eyes on her. There was a cute little frown on her forehead, and he didn't resist the urge to broaden his smile.

"Nothing," he answered as he gaped at her, lovingly. "Just thinking how beautiful you are."

The woman widened her eyes as those words left him, a dark crimson blush creeping up her cheeks. She looked back at him as he kept his smoldering purple orbs glued to her form, and had to avert her eyes to the window, the intensity of his gaze making her heart race in a way she never felt before.

"You have a way with words," she uttered, after a few moments of what felt like forever of attempting to recollect her composure. She fixated her stare on the boring old table, as if there was something interesting there. "How many times have you used that line on girls?"

Kuronue's smile widened ever so slightly at her blunt question. "A lot," he responded with an honest reply, "But this is the first time I meant it."

He laughed as her blush turned a shade darker.

* * *

"I think the entire population of girls in the coffee shop was busy drooling over you and Shuichi, Kuronue-san," Botan remarked with a giggle as she walked alongside Kurama. Kuronue and Shizuru were at the front, walking side by side, and with the redhead preoccupied with discussing some important matters on the phone with Hiei, Botan had decided to converse with the other two.

Kuronue rotated his head around slightly to look at her. He burst into a howl of laughter. "Yeah, well… me and Kurama _are_ the hottest in the whole of Japan," he bragged, sticking his nose up in the air in a haughty manner. A wince escaped him, but his mouth formed a smile as Shizuru nudged him in the rear.

"Don't be so full of yourself," she told him in a firm tone, despite the playful grin evident on her lips.

"Well," Botan started, a laugh erupting from her chest, "It's kind of true anyway."

"What do you mean, kind of?" Kuronue questioned, feigning to sulk as he pulled the cutest pout he could manage.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" Shizuru murmured, and Botan's laughter raised a notch higher as Kuronue placed a hand on his chest, faking hurt as he dramatically cried over the fact she had the heart to say that.

"What did Hiei-san want?" Botan inquired, as she noticed Kurama flipping the lid of his cell phone shut. The actor didn't respond at once, and merely slipped the piece of machinery back into the safety of his pockets.

"Nothing much," he answered, giving a light shrug of his left shoulder, "Just some things that aren't really that unusual really. A few directors want me to take up acting for a role, but he wanted to know if I'm up to it."

Botan raised an eyebrow at this. "And?"

"And nothing." Kurama shrugged once again. "I didn't want any of those roles, to be honest."

"Why not?" she asked curiously.

He trailed his eyes down and fixed them on the baffled expression on her lovely features. Her eyes, as bright and glimmering as ever, stared up at him in wonder. He would be lying if he said that the reason he refused taking any of those roles was because he wanted to spend more time with her, but again, it would also be too embarrassing to admit that out loud.

"No reason," he bluffed, subconsciously tugging his cap down once more so as to hide the pink tinge he'd unconsciously developed on his cheeks. "I'm already busy with the role I already have. Frankly, I think I need more rest. Besides," He cleared his throat, "most of those roles are from romance dramas."

"And you don't want to act in a romance drama?" Botan questioned, all the while trying to hide the pang of jealousy that stabbed at her heart as she imagined Kurama with another girl. She didn't want that. Even acting, even if he didn't mean any of it, she didn't want to see him with someone else. And she couldn't as well deny that she didn't feel a surge of overwhelming relief that overtook her senses as he told her he declined all those roles.

 _No, because I don't want to love anyone else other than you, even if it's just pretend._ He thought but responded with nothing but a shook of his head. Thinking on it now, the revelation hit him that even before they reunited with each other, even during those seven years, even after spending so much time loathing her very existence… even then… Even then, perhaps, he subconsciously knew he still loved her. No matter how many times various directors offered him roles in the romance genre, he would always say no. Always. _I guess I've never wanted to give my heart to anyone else than Botan._ He smiled.

"Ah, Botan-chan, Shizuru!"

A feminine voice, one that sounded familiar but unrecognizable at the same time, suddenly echoed in the air from behind them, interrupting his chain of thoughts and breaking him out of his reverie.

All heads turned to look at whoever it was that had called, and upon whipping around, they caught sight of Keiko, with one hand wrapped around the arm of a black haired man that was her boyfriend, Yusuke Urameshi.

Botan's features brightened up into a wide grin, whilst Shizuru waved a hand at the other two. Kurama and Kuronue glanced at one another, blinking their eyes.

"Hey, Kei!" Botan greeted as the brunette sauntered up to them, all the while dragging the reluctant Yusuke along. "Are you on a date?" she asked, sparing a look at Yusuke, and reaching a hand out to playfully poke one finger on his cheek. She pulled away when he tried to bite it off.

"Date isn't really how _I_ would put it," Keiko grumbled as she rolled her eyes. Yusuke muttered something under his breath, but none of them caught what it was. "Anyway," Her grin returned as she averted her attention to the other four, "Are you guys on a double date or something? Kuronue-san, I never knew you liked Shizuru!"

"Well," the lad in question let out a laugh, "You learn new things everyday." He then turned to peer at the other black haired man in Keiko's tight, death-like grip. "And who's this, Keiko-chan?"

"Oh, this guy?" Keiko spared Yusuke a brief glance. He shot a glare at her.

"Who the hell do you mean, this guy—"

Keiko ignored him. "He's my boyfriend, Yusuke Urameshi," she explained, with a bright smile touching her lips, as if she wasn't practically trying to rip off said boyfriend's arm.

"Ah, so this is the Yusuke you talked about," Kurama said as he turned to look at Botan, "How did you know him, by the way?"

"Huh?" Botan, who hadn't expected him to ask her that question, responded stupidly for a moment, dumbfounded. "Ah, um, we kind of became friends after I moved here. He was… well, let's just say, he was my first friend. He's a really nice guy." The corners of her mouth curved upwards into a toothy grin as she diverted her gaze to Yusuke. "Aren't you, Yuu-chan?"

"How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?" Yusuke half growled and half roared, bringing a fist up in the air threateningly. Botan, who was already used to this, merely giggled.

"Um… since I met you, four hundred and fifty times?"

"So?"

"So, why do I have to do whatever you tell me to do?"

"Why I ought to—"

Kurama blocked out the rest of the words exchanged between his fiancé and a guy that seemed awfully close with her. His brows knitted together as he felt a stabbing pain in his chest, like a snake coiling around his heart. _What am I doing, getting jealous over every little thing?_ He reprimanded himself, and shook his head to rid himself of the negative feelings that were taking residence in his heart.

"Don't worry," Shizuru's voice abruptly spoke from behind him, her tone reassuring. He looked at her, and upon seeing the look on her face, he realized she had noticed him growing jealous. She smiled at him. "You see," and she shifted her gaze to Botan and Yusuke, "In the past, when she first came to Osaka, Botan was always getting hit on by guys. She's a pretty girl, and… well, they all wanted a piece of her, I guess. Men." She gave out a scoffing sound as she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, once, she nearly got molested by a bunch of disgusting freaks… and you see, Yusuke was the only one who saved her. The other people standing there at the time just stared; they were all scared of getting beaten up. And Yusuke was the only one who tried to help her. I guess, after some time, they grew closer. They're like brother and sister." She turned to look at Kurama. "Really, it's nothing more than that, so you don't have to worry."

"I see…" Kurama tried to suppress the anger and disgust that crept up his skin at the thought of a creepy brute trying to lay a hand on his beloved. So, that's why they seemed so close… He smiled. _I guess I owe him a lot, huh?_

"By the way, B," Yusuke's voice chimed in, laced with confusion as he stared at the two, unfamiliar men staring back at him. "Who are they?"

"Ah," Botan sounded out, as if she'd just remembered that she'd forgotten to properly introduce Kurama and Kuronue, "This is Kuronue-san," she said with a smile, as she pointed her thumb at the black haired man in question. "He's Shuichi's bodyguard."

Yusuke quirked an eyebrow in interest. "And Shuichi is?" he prodded.

"Shuichi is…" Botan's smile faltered slightly, as a blush crept up her cheeks. _Argh! It's so embarrassing to say that Shuichi's my fiancé!_

"The pretty little redhead," Shizuru bluntly responded on her behalf, "the pretty little redhead" in question frowning at the prospect of being called pretty. "He's Botan's fiancé."

If Yusuke's jaws dropped another inch lower, Botan would have thought it would be creating a huge hole on the ground.

"F-fiancé?!" Yusuke cried out in shock. "Since when did Botan start having a fiancé? More importantly, when did you get engaged?" he began to inquire the poor blue haired girl in question.

"Those questions are basically the same, Yusuke," Keiko murmured.

"Well…" Botan started, only to trail off as she found no words to properly explain. It wasn't as if it was _that_ hard to elaborate, but to just go up and say it out loud would be difficult without her stuttering once a while.

"Wait a sec," Shizuru blurted out in bewilderment, "Didn't you already know? I mean, didn't Keiko text you and tell you about the whole thing?"

"Yeah, I did," Keiko said in a dry tone, "I guess he just forgot."

"Huh?" Yusuke blinked. "Really?"

"Yes, Yusuke. I did. I told you when you were busy kicking some guy's ass."

"Kuwabara's ass," Yusuke corrected, before letting the information sink in. Then, he racked his brain for any recollections of Keiko informing him of Botan getting engaged… until a few moments later, he eventually remembered. "Oh, right!" He punched a fist on his palm. "You did! Sorry, I kinda forgot, because the next day I got thrown into a wall and my head nearly got split into half," he blurted out casually, as if he was simply talking about the weather. He let out a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his not so scratchy head.

Keiko shook her head in disapproval, heaving a loud sigh of exasperation.

"Anyway, nice to meet you guys," Yusuke said, as he turned to look at Kurama and Kuronue. "Good to see that Botan finally got laid."

There was a loud cry, "Yusuke!" but he ignored it.

Kurama smiled, whilst Kuronue burst into a loud howl of laughter. "Well, Botan and I have done nothing of the sort, but yes, it's nice to meet you too, Urameshi-san." _Not that I don't think about doing it with her but… Ah! What the hell am I thinking?_ He screamed in his mind, and inwardly shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the dirty thoughts that had somehow managed to conjure themselves up in his head.

"Yeah, nice to meet you," Kuronue finally said, as he recovered from his laughing fit. Noticeably, there were tears stinging at the back of his eyes – not from sadness, obviously.

"You guys going to the festival tonight?" Yusuke asked.

Kurama blinked. "What festival?"

"Oh? You don't know?" This time, it was Keiko who spoke. "Apparently, there's a festival tonight; you know, at the Kanamegi shrine. Yusuke and I were supposed to go there."

"But?" Botan, who had eventually recovered from her embarrassment over Yusuke blurting out that she finally got laid, prodded.

"But our families were planning to have dinner at my house tonight, so, yeah, we couldn't go even if we wanted to," Keiko explained, and expelled a heavy, disappointed sigh. She didn't notice Yusuke who mumbled something about not wanting to go anyway.

"Oh…" Botan nodded her head. She then peered over at her fiancé. "Do you… um…" She looked down to her hands as he arched an eyebrow questioningly at her, her thumbs fiddling with each other, "… want to go… with me?"

Kurama seemed startled. "With you?" he echoed.

"Yes," she answered, her voice soft and almost inaudible, but she knew he heard her. "I-if you want to, I mean," she stammered, feeling her face heat up.

Kurama's expression soon matched hers as a rosy shade began to spread on his cheeks. He cleared his throat, looking away. "Well, if _you_ want to, then… I-I guess I can go."

Botan lifted her gaze to stare at him in surprise, mingled with joy. "D-do you mean it?" she asked, wanting to make sure that she wasn't just hearing things.

He nodded. "What harm could be done? I mean, it's not like… we lose anything if we go. And it's not like we… um, got anywhere else to go tonight either…" he murmured, all the while inwardly kicking himself in the shin for sounding like a simpering school girl.

"Y-Yeah…" she muttered, whilst trying to control her blush from reddening. Unfortunately for her, such a thing could not be controlled.

"In that case," Kuronue turned to look at Shizuru, "why don't we go, too?"

Shizuru almost let out a startled gasp at the invitation. What the? Was he really asking her? It would feel like a second date… Ah… but, even if the thought made her sort of happy, and even if she wanted to, she promised her mother that she would go with her to her grandmother's house, and with Kuwabara finally back from his training, no doubt her family would want to celebrate.

"Sorry… but I, um, I gotta go to my grandma's…" Shizuru declined, albeit reluctantly.

Kuronue seemed disappointed for a second, but then, a look of understanding crossed his features. "I get it, I can't force you. But, if you're not going to go, then I'm not either."

"A-are you sure?"

"Yeah. I only want to go with you, not with some other girl," he declared, his tone affectionate, watching the woman as she blushed at his words.

"But…" Botan suddenly chimed in. "I don't really have a yukata…"

"What do you mean, you don't have a yukata?" Shizuru questioned as she regained her composure, blinking at the other girl. "I thought you have lots?"

"Yes, I do," Botan shyly admitted with a timid smile, "But, not one that is remotely that cute, I mean."

"Since when did you start caring about how cute you look?" Kurama asked, one eyebrow raised at her in wonder. For some reason, the girl turned red in the face.

 _Since I want to impress you_ , she answered in her musings, but dared not voice them out loud. "I-is it a crime?"

"No." Suddenly, his hand was on hers, and she could have sworn her heart did a flip. She didn't look at him, but she knew he was smiling. "I just think you'd look beautiful no matter what you wear."

Botan had an inkling suspicion that her face was as red as his hair.

"In any case, since the lady wants a new yukata, might as well let her buy one," Kuronue exclaimed.

"Right." Shizuru nodded her head. "Come on, B, I'll help you choose the perfect one for Kurama," she said as she winked at the younger girl whose blush impossibly darkened at her choice of words.

"Ah! I want to go, too!" Keiko chimed in, a soft girlish giggle escaping her lips as she released her vice-like hold around Yusuke's arm. The male in question rubbed a hand on his arm to soothe the sore spot a bit.

Kurama parted his lips to utter something out, but didn't manage to as the girls dragged his fiancé elsewhere.

"Girls," Yusuke scoffed, "They always get excited when it comes to shopping."

Kurama proceeded to glare at nothing in particular. "Agreed," came his tart response.

"Anyway, since it's just us guys, why don't we head somewhere else and ask the girls to meet up with us at a place?" Kuronue suggested.

"How do we let them know?" Yusuke inquired, his eyes blinking at the other black haired man.

"By texting them."

"Oh, right."

Kurama heaved out a sigh as Kuronue took a hold of his arm, dragging him to god knows where with their newfound friend, Yusuke, following suit. He was about to break free from Kuronue's hold, try to find Botan, tell her that she didn't need a new yukata and bring her home – until his eyes caught a store at the other end of the street.

The longer he stared, the stronger the urge inside him that insisted him to go inside.

"Hey, Kuronue?"

His best friend regarded him with an absent-minded hum. "Hm?"

"Don't you think it's a good time for me to buy a ring?"


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 19**

Kurama stood in front of the mirror, his eyes gazing not at the glassy surface that reflected him in his black, red-striped hakama, but at the ring in his hand. Its beauty was astounding; bright gold, decorated with a small but glimmering blue diamond stone. Staring at it, Kurama realized that nothing else could match the sight before him but his own beloved – who was running a bit late.

They didn't have much of a schedule really, and they weren't exactly in a rush, but he could have sworn Botan was spending more time than usual in the bathroom. As usual, she suggested the bathroom as her preferred place to change into her yukata. He would admit it, he himself was embarrassed to undress in front of her, but they could only stay this way so far. They would get married sooner or later, so they might as well just get the shyness out of the way as early as possible.

 _Speaking of marriage…_ he thought as he shifted his orbs back to the ring. He wasn't entirely sure if his step father had already arranged their own rings for them, since Kazuya hadn't informed of him of anything, nor did he care to contact the older man to ask. In any case, he wouldn't accept a ring that was bought by Kazuya; he wanted to buy the ring himself. He wanted Botan to wear _his_ ring. _But, I should tell her how I feel first…_ That was the first thing on his list. Right now probably wasn't a good time, but the right time would come sometime. Hopefully sooner.

Hopefully tonight.

He wished for nothing but to whisper sweet nothings into her ear, slip this ring on her finger, and marry her right then and there so he could spend the rest of his lifetime with her. But, his plans would have to wait.

He swiftly slid the ring into the pockets of his hakama, as the sound of the door creaking open reached his ears, the soft padding footsteps behind him signaling that Botan had finished dressing up. He whipped around to look at her, only to have his breath caught up in his throat.

"How do I look?" Botan asked, as she twirled around in front of him. The yukata fitted so perfectly around her supple form, the pink peonies decorated on the white piece of clothing seeming to accentuate her sky blue hair, and bring forth the true meaning behind her name. Her hair, tied in a messy but oddly sexy bun, left a few small strands to gracefully cascade down her shoulders, making her seem almost picturesque. But, what caught his eye the most was the hairpin she wore; the tiny, red diamonds staring back at him causing memories to flood his head.

"That's…" he trailed off, as his gaze remained glue to the object.

"Oh, this?" Botan said, as she lightly touched the hairpin with her fingers, careful enough not to change its position in her hair. A faint blush colored her cheeks, as she bit her lip. "I… um, I kept it. I mean, it was a gift from you, after all…" she murmured, her voice timid but cute sounding.

Kurama felt as if his heart literally did a flip as she declared that she had kept the hairpin; a gift he gave her from way, way in the past, on her tenth birthday. "For twelve years?" he croaked out in disbelief, despite the pride and joy that swelled in his chest at the prospect.

She nodded her head mutely, unable to respond to his voice without stuttering at least once. "You never answered," she stated in a soft whisper, after a few moments of silence.

"Huh?" came Kurama's dumb answer, his eyes blinking at her stupidly. He shook his head, as if trying to snap out a trance. He cleared his throat. "Ah… um… you look… amazing," he replied slowly, trying to choose his words carefully.

Botan's face seemed to lit up like fireworks. "Really?" she asked, her voice almost too cheerful, but obviously, she didn't notice.

He blushed as she strolled up to him, one arm suddenly coming to link with his. "Really." It took him a long pause to give out a proper response without stumbling over his words.

Her face looked as if it could disappear behind the huge, happy grin she sported, and she didn't realize the way the flush on his darkened as she tightened her grip around his arm.

* * *

"There sure are a lot of people here," Botan remarked as she and Kurama walked among the midst of the large crowd at the festival. As usual, the atmosphere practically screamed fun, and Botan was tempted to go to each stall that was presented before her. But, that would not do. She was no longer a child; she should be able to control her own desires once a while. She didn't want to force Kurama to carry the burden of obeying her every wish; she had no desire to use his money carelessly.

"Yeah," Kurama absent-mindedly responded, as his eyes remained busy glancing around for something he could give to Botan as another present. "But, they usually swarm around at this time."

The girl arched an eyebrow at him. "They?"

"You know, bugs."

"Oh." Botan formed an 'o' with her mouth in understanding. She allowed a small laugh to escape her lips, as she nodded her head in agreement. "I know, it can get pretty annoying sometimes." _Well, at least I'm with you, so I don't mind facing a few bugs here and there_ , she added secretively in her musings, a cryptic but warm smile grazing her soft, pink lips.

She blinked when she suddenly felt his hand abruptly took a hold of hers, his grip almost as tight as the yellow obi keeping her yukata together.

"Keep close to me," he told her, his voice firm but gentle, and his expression matching the sternness in his tone. "I don't want you to get lost in this crowd."

Botan couldn't help the amused but completely pleased smile that soon began to curl at the edge of her mouth. "I won't get lost, Shuichi," she whispered, her voice reassuring, "I'm not a little kid anymore."

Red eyebrows knitted together in frustration. "Sure, I'm well aware of the fact that you're a full, grown adult now. The curves on your body are testimony enough. But, no matter what age, anyone can get lost in this large crowd," he dryly stated, barely aware of the second sentence that he accidentally blurted out, his words basically blunt but of course, very inappropriate.

Amethyst orbs widened, and rosy shade colored pearl white cheeks as Botan found herself torn between hitting him over the head for saying such crude words to a girl, and embarrassed over the fact that he actually complimented her figure. Unsure of what to do, she peered down at her feet, seeming to focus her gaze there as the blush on her features refused to go away. She kept silent, uncertain of how to respond.

Kurama took that as a sign that he'd won their little debate. Of course, he wasn't stupid. He _knew_ she was no longer the same little girl who would cry and cling to him at festivals whenever she got lost back in the days of their childhood. He _knew_ that she was a woman, and that she was fully capable of taking care of herself. But, he also knew that there was no way in hell that he was going to risk losing her. Besides, seeing as this _was_ Botan he was talking about, there was still a possibility that she _might_ get lost if he didn't hold on to her. The girl had the odd ability to get distracted over every little thing, for god's sake! No matter how matured she had grown over the years, that fact had never changed.

 _And besides, I like holding her hand._ But of course, it wasn't as if he would admit that out loud.

"Ah! I want to buy a candy apple!" Botan beamed, seeming to had forgotten her nervousness, and pointed at the stall selling the red-colored sweets, the excitement on her features basically the same match with one that would belong to a small child.

Kurama parted his lips to utter out something, but he failed to as the girl started to practically drag him towards the stall. At first, he was startled at her sudden newfound strength to drag a man such as himself – and over a candy apple, no less – but a moment later, a smile lifted up his lips. Oh well, since she wanted the candy apple that much, he had no choice but to obliged to the lady's wishes.

"I haven't eaten this for a long time," Botan sighed contentedly after ordering two candy apples – when did he ever say he wanted one? Oh well – her smile barely unconceivable as she stared wide eyed and hopeful at the treat.

"Why not?"

"Been busy, haven't gone to a festival for what felt like ages," she answered absent-mindedly, most of her attention fixed on the candy apples than her own fiancé. "Besides, even if I went, it's not like I have that much money to begin with."

"Right, you don't like using your parents' money," he exclaimed, in a tone that sounded almost too knowingly. Then again, he knew a lot of things about her. She hadn't changed as much as he did, after all.

"Uh-huh. I don't like depending on people." Botan took one candy apple into her anticipating hand, whilst handing the other one to Kurama, who wore an amused, crooked smirk on his charming features.

"Yet, you seem to have no problem using mine," he playfully 'corrected' her, stifling a chuckle as the girl's eyes broadened in revelation and her cheeks reddened in what he assumed as embarrassment.

"I… I'm sorry," she muttered, as she watched him pay for the treats _she_ wanted to savor for as long as she could remember, "I got so caught up with my own urges. I didn't mean to be a troublesome woman…"

She blinked as he suddenly and startlingly burst into a fit of laughter.

"Silly girl," he teased, as he flicked a finger on her forehead. He pulled her from the stall, beginning to walk away, and eyed her in mirth as she mumbled a cute, audible 'Ow!'. "It's not like it's a big deal. I already bought Kura-chan for you, remember?"

Botan stopped rubbing on the sore spot on her forehead as she was reminded of the stuffed teddy bear. "I-I know that."

"Then, you have no reason to fret over it." He smiled at her. "I'd be willing to buy anything just for you," he openly expressed himself for her, and as if to emphasize the seriousness in his intentions, repeated, firmer this time, " _Anything_."

The young woman felt her cheeks heat up to an extent her skin felt as if it was burning at the loving, affectionate tone dripping in his smooth voice. She watched, transfixed, as he brought her hand to his lips, placing a brief, featherlike kiss on her tender fingers.

"Anything?" she whispered, sounding an audible gulp as she felt his lips travel to her wrist. "So, if I asked you to buy me the Eiffel Tower, you'd do it?"

"Yes." He looked up at her, his emerald irises intense and filled with deep promises. He smirked against her soft skin. "I did say anything, did I not?"

"Then, are you willing to give me anything?" She cupped his cheek in her warm hand as he removed his hot mouth, his kiss from before leaving a burning trail on her skin.

"Yes, I am," he said, without a moment of hesitation.

"Then…" She smiled at him, and taking him by surprised, tugged him gently down to her waiting lips, "Just give me the overwhelming and irreplaceable happiness of being with you and that will be enough," she whispered, her breath ghosting over his lips.

He pulled apart from her to study her with an unreadable expression, but in his eyes, undoubtedly laid a deep, suppressed desire and infinite longing. He leaned down, and sealed her lips in a chaste kiss, and that was all the answer she needed.

* * *

"What is this place?"

"I told you, I've always wanted to go here," Botan answered Kurama as they took a seat on the grass at the riverbank, the latter still baffled and curious over the purpose of coming here.

"Why?" he inquired, as he watched her take a small bite of her candy apple.

Botan didn't justify his question with a response at once, heaving a contented sigh as sweet toffee melted onto her tongue, filling her taste buds. "Have you heard of the legend about this riverbank?" she asked.

Brows furrowing, Kurama's expression came to reflect a befuddlement that was beyond definition. He asked her why, and she answered him by talking about another whole different thing altogether? Regardless, he felt the need to acknowledge her, his curiosity getting the better of him. "No, I haven't," he murmured, biting on the already quarter finished of his candy apple. Botan seemed to be taking a slow time finishing hers, perhaps wanting to savor it a little longer.

"Well, there's a legend that if you come to the nearest riverbank Kanamegi shrine, something miraculous happens." She turned to look at him with a smile attached to her lips. "Do you want to know what it happens?"

Although a bit uninterested – because he usually didn't believe in this kind of things – Kurama was a far cry from telling the girl that he frankly didn't care much. Furthermore, there must be something that perked up Botan's interest if she was willing to go all the way here… so maybe he should listen more.

"What?" he questioned, as he studied the stick between his fingers, the red apple covered with toffee that had been stuck on the small thing now completely devoured.

"Well, apparently, if you come here with someone you love, you will be with him or her forever. Even death can't separate you, they say," she explained as she expelled a dreamy sigh.

Kurama didn't resist the urge to scoff. "Another legend that revolves around love? Seriously, can't some people think of better things to do than make up a fake love story?" he grumbled, finding it hard to believe that he was doing this for the sake of a love legend.

"I think it's sweet," Botan mumbled under her breath.

"You think everything's sweet."

A glare was shot at his direction. "I do not!"

He smirked, amused at the violent reaction he received from his betrothed. A bit intimidating, but mostly just adorable. "You _so_ do."

"As I have said before, I do not—"

"Oh? What's this?"

Botan was abruptly cut short as a sneer sounded in the air, disrupting the lovers' argument. Botan looked up in curiosity, whilst Kurama seemed more aggravated than filled with wonder.

Amethyst eyes widened in shock as they met a pair of striking purple. In front of her, stood a young, well built man, his green hair in a disheveled mess, as other two stood behind him, acting as the roles of the friends-but-more-like-eternal-slaves titles that were given to them.

"Ashiro…" she snarled, as her surprise was instantly replaced with an anger that burned her sides with a deep hatred she never thought she could possess. She had to look away from the smug smirk on his face in an attempt to somehow suppress the raging fire blazing inside her.

"My, you give out the exact image of a perfect meal as I remember, love," Ashiro leered at her, making her skin crawl with disgust.

"Who the hell are you, and how dare you refer what belongs to me as love?" Kurama growled, low and dangerous, as his emerald orbs narrowed in a menacing way at the other man.

"Ah, I forgot," Ashiro's voice was mocking as he crossed his arms over his chest, "You've already been taken by the hot, girly actor."

Botan was livid. "How dare you! Shuichi is not a girly actor! He's much more of a man that an asshole like you will ever be!" she hissed.

"Well, coming from a perky, annoying woman such as yourself, my dear," Ashiro sneered, the smirk on his irritating features broadening ever so slightly as he watched her whole body start to quiver in wrath, "I wouldn't care much about your opinion."

"Yeah, you've got a lot of nerve saying that Ashiro-san's not manly! You're just ten times more annoying than anyone I've ever known!" One of the Ashiro's two minions, a man with a crooked grin, and a face that could lose to Kuwabara, taunted her.

"Yeah, yeah," the other one added, "Do you remember that time when she spoke so loud that everyone in class heard her? Even the teacher? What a bimbo!" he said, as he threw his head back and laugh, Ashiro and the first minion joining in the obnoxious laughter.

Kurama was on the verge of getting to his feet and running up to them to brutally slaughter them when he felt a warm hand tugged at his, holding him back. How dare they? How dare they insult her? "Say what you will of me, but one word about my fiancé, and I'll freaking rip your throats out," he growled, his voice filled with anger and malice as he glared at the three brutes.

"Oh, what's this? The girly actor protecting his pathetic girlfriend? How sad!" Ashiro's voice taunted at him, further igniting the burning fury inside him.

The redhead made to walk up to him. "Why you little piece of sh—" Yet, he was cut short as once again, Botan's hand grabbed his, allowing him no permission to break free of her hold. Normally, with one firm tug, he could get her to release his wrist, but the stern look in her eyes drove away the thought. Reluctantly, he relaxed, watching as the stupid trio uttered a few more degrading sentences at them, before they turned around and finally, stalked off.

"Why did you stop me?" he hissed, trying to suppress his frustration as his body shook with anger. "They were making fun of you and I would not have that. Why didn't you let me—"

"Stop," she whispered softly, as she gently pulled him back down to the grass beside her. "They're not worth it. They're crap, anyway."

"It's because they're crap that they deserve getting beat up," Kurama grumbled in a grudging tone, but felt his anger subside as she ran her fingers soothingly across the back of his hand. She didn't say anything, so he took that as a cue for him to go on, "You say that they're not worth it. But you're pissed off as well, right?"

"Yes," she admitted, in a low voice, "But, you can't let the hatred get the better of you, Shuichi."

Kurama was silent for a moment. "They deserve it."

"Shuichi…"

"They deserve a freaking punch in the head for every syllable that they said about you!" he growled, not at her, but more at himself for not kicking their asses.

"Really," Botan sighed, "It's alright. I don't mind it."

"Yes, you do. You got furious, didn't you—"

"Yes, I did." Her voice was firm, cutting short his protest. "But, like I said, they're not worth it."

"I just don't get it," he whispered, as he fixated his gaze at the river, the light from the moon reflected on the water. "How can you just be so calm about it? I have half a mind to search them and go beat the crap out of them."

"As touched as I am over how much you care about me," She paused to let a smile lift up her lips, "I really wish you refrain yourself from doing so." She followed his gaze, staring at the moon reflected in the river. "You see, I used to date Ashiro."

"You _dated_ that son of a—"

"Shut up, let me finish," she said in a gentle but stern voice, and that was all it took to silence him. "I used to date him, but that was before I found out what a total jerk he was. I thought he was a good guy, then he went and cheated on me, and talked behind my back when I broke up with him and slapped him in front of the entire school."

Kurama allowed a light smirk of satisfaction to curl up at the corners of his mouth. "Well, at least the bastard got at minimum, ten percent of what he had – and still has – coming to him."

Botan couldn't help but shake her head at the hatred that dripped in her beloved's usually composed voice, but a small smile lingered on her pink lips. "Anyway, to be honest, I'd be lying if I said that I never loved him… no, not really that close to love. I mean, I was actually infatuated with him. But then, that was all just nothing but an image I had in my stupid head." She heaved a sigh. "I'm used to it, Shuichi, Ashiro's not the first guy who broke up with me and told me that I'm a perky, annoying little bitch."

She could have sworn he nearly hissed over her choice of words. "You're not a bitch. If you say that again, I won't forgive you."

"For calling myself a—"

"Don't say it again, or god help me, I'll prove it to you that you're a better woman than any female in the whole world. Ashiro – and the other idiots who badmouthed you – are stupid to have let you go." He rolled his eyes.

A giggle poured out her lips, at the genuine compliment directed at her, and the reassuring, but grudging tone in his dark voice. "You know, I think no guy's ever known the real me… no guy except you, that is." She sighed, but this time, it sounded contented as it hung in the air, "You want to know why I try real hard not to care about what people think of me?" She turned her head upwards to gape at the beautiful sight of the moon, and saw Kurama shifted his eyes on her form in a questioning manner, a cue for her to continue, "My mom: she told me never to let what others' opinions get to me. She said that I should never change, that I have to always smile for her. And not just for her sake, but for everyone else around me, and most importantly, for myself, as well." Her features softened. "Even as she breathed her last breath, she never forgot to tell me to never forsake my real self." A smile crossed her lips, and her eyelids fluttered close, as she felt the calm breeze blow against her skin. "That's why I won't. Not for anyone."

Kurama stared at her, his countenance stoic, but the amazement and love was evident in his pools of deep emeralds. He smiled, taking her hand in his. "She's a good mom."

"I know," Botan's soft whisper danced with the wind, and upon hearing the solemn tone that touched her words, he nearly feared that she would cry – but no tears felled; instead, there was a matured, wistful smile attached on her sweet little face.

"You remember when we first met?"

Botan was startled at the sudden question that left his lips, and her smile wavered as a look of confusion found its way to her face. Nonetheless, she justified him with a reply, "Sure, of course I do. It was on June 12th, right?"

A satisfied smile tugged at his lips, as if he was pleased that she still remembered. "Yeah, it was."

"Why are you bringing this up now?"

"I was just thinking…" Botan watched, confused, as Kurama slid a hand into the right pocket of his hakama. _It was time. It was time to do what needed to be done._ "What do you think of a wedding in June?"

Her eyes widened as the revelation hit her. "You mean…" and she trailed off when he pulled her up to a standing position. "W-what are you doing?" she asked, wondering where this was all heading to.

"Don't think," he murmured, as he tucked a hair behind her ear, before bending on one knee – making that position that she'd only seen in romance movies, and her heart almost stopped. "Just feel," he whispered, and then, took out a ring, presenting it before her. A startled gasp left her lips, and her heart finally felt like it literally stopped. She could have died right then and there as she lost her heartbeat, but as he gazed at her, lovingly, his emerald orbs filled with affection and deep promises, she felt her heart beat again, thumping loudly in her chest.

"I know this is a bit too late, and I already am engaged with you, and that I left the box at home, but," He grabbed her hand in a tender hold, "Will you marry me?"

Botan knew she probably shouldn't ask, but… "W-where did you get the ring?"

"I got it from a store when you were off yukata shopping with the girls and Kuronue and Yusuke helped me out – wait, why the hell does it matter? I'm practically on one knee, proposing to you and trying to make this perfect, and you're standing there, looking all curious, and asking me where I got the ring? Oh, the audacity—"

He was cut short when the girl practically jumped into his arms, making them fall on the grass. Although taken completely off guard at first, Kurama soon recovered from his shock as he felt Botan pull away and leaned down and kissed him square on the lips.

He sighed when she broke off the lip lock, reaching one hand to cup her cheek, his fingers running on her soft flesh. His expression, more deadly serious than ever, stared back at her smiling face. "And here I was trying to be a romantic," he murmured, before expelling another sigh. "Okay, let me rephrase that," he said as he inhaled a deep breath, closing his eyes. Then, he opened them and looked straight into hers. "Be mine forever and ever, don't ever leave, don't ever be with someone else, because you belong to me. And this ring," He slipped the ring on her finger, eyeing her transfixed gaze, "this ring symbolizes that we are tied together in an unbreakable bond. You and I, forever destined to be together." He smiled. "Now shut up and stop asking questions; just say yes and let me kiss you until I leave you breathless."

Botan wasn't sure how to describe the pure happiness that overtook her senses and swelled her heart, she didn't know. But she knew the answer.

"You know why I asked you to come here with me, Shuichi?" she whispered, but placed a finger on his lips to silence him when he went up to give a response. She leaned in closer, nearing in proximity and her breath ghosted over his mouth. "Because I want to be with you forever. And I don't want death to ever separate us apart."

Then, without waiting for him to utter a word, she slammed her lips on his.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

 **Couples:** Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

 **Chapter 20**

"I look okay, right? I don't look weird, right?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? You look stunning, just like your mother."

Botan turned to look at her father, the loving smile on his face making him look almost parental in her view. She wasn't sure if it was because it was her wedding day, or if her father had always loved her but never showed it, but she didn't hate the smile that found its way to her lips.

"Will you walk me down the aisle?" she asked, in a soft voice, as he gently took her hand and linked it around his arm.

"Why are you even asking that? I'm your father, of course I will," he murmured, as the doors slid open. Her smile widened at his words.

"Thank you… dad…" she whispered, the last name call that erupted from her throat felt as if a boulder had just been lifted off her shoulders.

"It's been a long time since I heard you call me that," Yukio muttered, but the smile in his purple irises was evident. "You know I've always loved you and that I always will, right?"

Botan let her eyelids flutter close as she felt her father softly pull her down the aisle. "I know." She breathed in the scent of lilies that invaded her nostrils. "I love you too, dad," and she tightened her grip on his clothed arm.

"Shuichi's a lucky man," he remarked, and she opened her eyes to pin a confused stare on him. His smile broadened, before he tilted his head at the front, gesturing to a certain someone waiting for her.

She followed his gaze, and her heart swelled with joy, a rosy tint developing on her cheeks as she caught sight of Kurama, standing proudly in his black tuxedo, his red hair flying gracefully with the wind and his emerald orbs fixed on her form with a glimmer of affection and astonishment.

"He did a great job on the garden," Yukio commented, as he allowed his eyes to study the various color and flowers that accentuated the green grass. The roses seemed to speak as they fluttered against the bone chilling but relaxing breeze.

"He has a talent with plants, after all," she told him, as she remembered back when Kurama decided that he wanted to make a garden out of the green meadow where they first saw the fireflies, after having proposed to her that night one and a half month ago. Of course, she assisted him, but he'd always tell her not to due to the reason he thought he could do it on his own. Even so, she never listened. She rather loved the red roses and the blue peonies; they reminded her of her and him, and how they were meant for each other.

As they reached the altar, Botan inhaled a deep breath.

"I have to give her up for you now, Shuichi-kun," Yukio said, with a playful touch in his voice, his purple orbs dancing in mirth. The redhead laughed, the sound like a soft lullaby as it echoed in her ears. She watched as her father released her, guiding her towards Kurama, who took her by the hand. "Take care of her. If I would allow anyone to gain her trust, I am glad that it is you," her father murmured in a soft voice, as he patted Kurama on the shoulder, a trusting gleam in his eyes, before he turned and walked to his seat.

"I'm getting cold feet," Botan declared in a shaky but low whisper, as she wrapped a quivering arm around Kurama's. The redhead sent her a reassuring smile, the look on his charming features soothing her rattling nerves.

"Don't you dare back out," he warned, but his voice was gentle.

Her fingers tightly gripped on him. "Never," she whispered as she shook her head, a small but warm quirk of the lips etched on her lovely countenance.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to…"

Botan took a few deep, calming breaths as the priest began the ceremony, the speech that was accompanied with it rather mute in her ears as she imagined the life she would from today onwards lead with the one and only man she truly loved and desired.

"Calm down," Kurama said in an amused tone, as his free hand reached out to grasp hers that was still linked around his arm, "You're making it seem like you're pregnant."

 _I will be sooner or later_ , Botan mused to herself, but dared not say it out loud. Images of her and Kurama taking care of four or five little children, each of them bearing a striking resemblance to the blue haired girl and the red haired boy, conjured themselves up in the recesses of her mind. Her nerves ached with anticipation as she thought of the happy family she could share with Kurama, and she realized how long she had dreamt of it.

Botan snapped out her thoughts as she felt Kurama's hand lightly squeeze hers, just in time for the priest to ask;

"Do you both pledge to share your lives openly with one another, and speak the truth in love? Do you promise to honor and tenderly care for one another, cherish and encourage each other, stand together, through sorrows and joys, hardships and triumphs for all the days of your lives?"

The devotion was undeniable in her and Kurama's voices as they chorused: "We do."

"Do you both pledge to share your love and the joys your marriage with all those around you, so that they may learn from your love and be encouraged to grow in their own lives?"

"We do."

"May this rings be blessed as a symbol of your union. As often as either of you look upon these rings, may you not only be reminded of this moment, but also the vows you have made and the strength of your commitment to each other." The priest turned his blue eyes to peer at Kurama. "Shuichi, please repeat after me…"

Kurama nodded, and let go of Botan, only to take a tender hold of her upper arms. He looked straight into her eyes, a smile lingering at the edge of his lips as he wiped away the single tear that cascaded down her left cheek. He felt as if everyone was holding their breaths as he began to repeat his vow that was first uttered by the priest;

"I, Shuichi Minamino, promise to love and support you, Botan Fukuyama, and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, and passion. With this ring," He slid the ring on her finger, the sharp intake of her breath like music to his ears, "I thee wed."

This time, the priest shifted his gaze to the bride. "Botan, please repeat after me…"

Botan had to let out a shaky breath as the words left her trembling lips, "I, Botan Fukuyama, promise to love and support you, Shuichi Minamino, and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, and passion. With this ring," and she placed hers on his finger, feeling him tenderly grab her quivering hand, as she finished, "I thee wed."

"Go now in peace and live in love, sharing the most precious gifts you have – the gifts of your lives united. And may your days be long on this earth." Then, those words finally reverberated in the air, sounding like a gentle whisper in the cold breeze, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

A startled gasp, followed by a soft girlish giggle poured out her lips as Kurama suddenly grabbed her by the waist, and in a swift motion, claimed her lips with his. He kissed passionately, as passionately as he could, and the crowd went wild with cheers and claps of applause. _In heaven… I hope you are watching me, mother, Suichi…_ he echoed in his thoughts, before he pulled away to study the shade of amethysts that belonged to the woman he had always wanted as his who was now his wife, and he swore he would love and cherish her forever.

"Now you are finally mine," he whispered, as he nuzzled his nose lovingly with hers.

Botan giggled, the laughter and tender emotion reflected in her eyes giving out a beautiful glint. "As you are mine," she whispered back, before he once again sealed her lips in a breathless kiss.

* * *

"Wow, that was a wonderful ceremony," Kuronue exclaimed in awe, as he eyed the pair of newlyweds stroll up to their friends. "Kurama seemed weirdly matured as he said his vows."

"Are you implying that I was not matured before?" Kurama half-heartedly growl, as he faked a glare at the direction of his best friend. In the black haired lad's arms, was a familiar tall, brown haired woman, dressed in a yellow dress, and a crimson tinge on her cheeks.

"What do you think?" Kuronue joked, a fit of laughter leaving his lips, before it subsided a couple of moments later as he traveled his gaze to the woman wrapped in his embrace. "When are you and I getting married, Shizuru-chan?"

Shizuru was dumfounded. "W-what are you saying!" she stammered. "Probably in a million years!"

"Aw, don't say that, Shizuru-chan." She grimaced as he reached out to poke lightly at her cheek with his index finger. "I want a grand wedding that's better than Kurama's and Botan-chan's."

"Highly doubt it," Shizuru muttered under her breath, but grinned in amusement as her boyfriend formed an adorable pout with his mouth.

"Exactly," Kurama agreed, in a determined statement, "Like hell you'll have a better wedding than mine. Botan is the best woman, I am the best man, and we _are_ the best couple."

Kuronue arched an eyebrow at him, but a light smirk evidently tugged at his lips. "Well, at least your arrogant side still hasn't changed. Might wanna reform before Botan-chan decides to leave you, don't cha think, Kurama-kun?" he taunted, making the redhead's eyebrow twitch, and the addition of the honorific laced in a mocking tone, caused him to nearly spat out a few curses at his friend.

"Kuronue-san!" Botan cried out, just in time to halt Kurama from going up to deliver a punch on the said lad's face. "You know that's not true."

"I know," Kuronue dodged as Kurama's fist missed his eye, "I was just kidding, but your husband has the temper of a bulldog." He laughed as "the bulldog" in question grumbled a savage curse under his breath.

"Ignore that idiot," Shizuru said, as she gave Kuronue a warning nudge in the rear, the latter letting out a wince and pulling another pout at her actions and her calling him an idiot, "I don't even know why I date him."

"Because I'm freaking hot?"

Shizuru heaved a loud, exasperated sigh at the narcissism practically radiating off Kuronue's smug smirk. _And he says Kurama's arrogant…_ she thought to herself, before shaking her head in disapproval and focusing her gaze on the wedded lovers, the serious expression on her features meaning no games and merely business. "Look, pal," she gestured to the redhead, "If I see her shed even one tear over you, you won't be answering to me, but my fist instead, got it?" She held up a clenched fist to emphasize her point, her countenance stern for a brief second, before it was quickly replaced by a warm smile. "So, don't hurt her, okay?"

"Yeah," Kurama nodded, the determination in his emerald orbs barely unmatchable than any she had seen before, "I won't."

She nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Uwah!" cried Keiko, who was covered in tears of joy, as she suddenly wrapped her blue haired best friend in a crushing embrace, "I can't believe Botan's married now! I'm so happy for you, B!" she wailed, barely noticing Yusuke who scratched his neck with an awkward grin on his lips and a huge sweatdrop at the back of his head. "If you ever need anything, just come and ask me! I'll do anything to help you out! Either it's taking care of your kids, or looking after the house, you can always count on me! You know that, right, B?"

A laugh began to build in Botan's chest, before erupting from her throat at her friend's emotional display. It was rare to see the brunette expressing herself in such a way, as she always assumed it as embarrassing, but Botan felt touched that she cared so much for her that she would be so willingly to act the part of the gleeful mother.

"Keiko's right," Kuwabara, dressed in a white tuxedo, said to Botan as the girls were finally able to get the bawling Keiko off of her. "I don't really know much about Kurama since we've only met each other a month ago, but I can tell he's a nice guy, so I know he can take good care of you. But, don't ever forget to let us know if you ever need some help, okay? We'll always be there for you," he finished, as he sniffed dramatically, patting the blue haired young woman on the head. She laughed.

"Oh, Kuwa-chan, I know you will," she murmured, an appreciative grin grazing her lips.

"I wish you all the happiness in the world," she heard Yukina's voice whispered in a breaking voice, and fixed her gaze on her just in time to see the shorter girl at the verge of crying. "I want you to be happy, Botan-chan, you deserve it. And I know Kurama-san can give that to you." She held Botan's hand in hers, as she said this.

Botan's smile broadened. She had such good friends. "Thank you, Yukina-chan," and she placed her other hand on the one Yukina had on top of hers. "I really am glad to have you guys as my friends."

"Hn, what a hideous sight," Hiei's voice spat from behind her, and she turned to look at him, but his eyes were glued to the carrot top bawling his eyes out. "The oaf crying over a small wedding? What a fool," he scoffed.

"But, you yourself are happy for us, are you not?" Kurama said, all too knowingly, which caused the shorter male to tug his lips down in a deep scowl. But the effect clearly wore off as he developed a pink tinge in the cheeks. "It's okay, Hiei." The redhead placed his hand on Hiei's shoulder, giving it a light, friendly pat. "You can cry if you want."

"I would _never_! Ugh." Hiei scrunched his nose in disgust, vividly aware of the flush on his face as he cupped a hand on it, his fingers attempting to hide the infuriating color on his cheeks. "But, I am happy for you… I think," he mumbled, his voice almost inaudible, but Kurama heard him quite clearly.

The redhead blinked, clearly not expecting his usual detached best friend to admit to it so easily, but then, he smiled. "Will you ever tell Mukuro how much you love her?" he suddenly questioned, watching in amusement as Hiei cleared his throat in discomfort. Hiei didn't say anything, so he went on, "Even Kuwabara-kun have the guts to finally ask Yukina-chan out."

"Yeah, after six or so years of knowing her!" Hiei hissed.

"At least, he did."

Kurama let out a laugh as Hiei grumbled something incoherent under his breath.

"Koenma!" Botan gasped as she watched the brown haired man in question approach the group. "I thought you were on a business trip?"

"You seriously didn't think I'd miss out on your wedding, did you?" Koenma snorted, but a smile lingered at the corners of his mouth. "Congratulations."

Botan couldn't help but return his smile with one of her own, touched at the prospect that her boss willingly discarded his important business trip just for her. "Thanks, Koenma," she uttered, her voice soft.

"It sure is merry, isn't it?" Botan looked up at the question and at the feel of Kurama's arms hooking around her waist. A giggle left her lips as she felt him pull her against him, her small back pressing against his torso.

"Yes," she whispered breathlessly, as his hot mouth trailed down her smooth, bare shoulder. "It is," and she sighed, contented.

* * *

 _"_ _Hey, Botan-chan…"_

 _"_ _Hmm? What is it, Shuichi-kun?"_

 _"_ _If I… asked you to marry me, would you?"_

 _"_ _We're still too young, Shu—"_

 _"_ _I_ _ **know**_ _that! I mean, in the future, if… if I were to become a better, stronger man, and asked you to marry me would you?"_

 _"…_ _Yep. Because I like you, Shuichi-kun."_

 _"_ _Then… I'll become a better man and come back to marry you—_

 _—_ _Because I like you, too, Botan-chan."_

* * *

Botan laughed as Kurama threw her on the bed, her back bouncing against the mattress as he crawled on top of her, their legs intertwined, and their bodies fitted perfectly against one another as he crushed her lips in a bruising kiss. A light tug at the zipper at the back of her dress, and she gasped out a startled gasp, pulling apart from his mouth. She smiled, and he smiled, as he began to slowly, and tenderly, undress her.

* * *

 _"_ _Want to try me?" His voice, low and barely a whisper, sent a delightful shiver down her spine. She didn't bother to resist as he leaned down, and in one swift motion, slammed his hot mouth on hers. His lips moved against hers in a slow, passionate lip lock, but she made no move to respond to the kiss, staying as still as a statue as he continued his ministrations. A few seconds later, he seemed to have gotten tired of her idle lips, and went and darted his tongue out to give her pink mouth a few experimental licks, the flicking of the wet appendage against her plump lips almost as if asking for permission. When she refused to grant it, he bit lightly on her lower lip, a startled gasp leaving her, her mouth now parted and he took that chance to push his tongue between her lips. A soft moan escaped her, the sound muffled in the heated kiss, as she finally began to respond, moving her mouth rhythmically against his._

* * *

A hand sliding up her thigh, her loud whimper as he entered her, his throaty groan as she ran her rosy nails up and down his back, the sweat trickling down their bodies and onto the white sheets, now tainted red with their love making.

He moved, slowly at first so as not to hurt her. Their breathing practically in sync, as she bucked against him a few breathtaking moments later.

* * *

 _He smiled at her, a loving, affectionate smile that seemed to touch his green irises with warmth. "Just promise me one thing." He released his hold on her when he felt that she wouldn't look away._

 _Botan slowly blinked at him when he let go, a part of her aching for his touch and missing the warmth he offered. "What is it?"_

 _All of a sudden, his gentle fingers found her cheek, grazing over the smooth skin lightly, and the touch nearly similar to that of brushing feathers across her cheek. "That you would never leave me again."_

 _A smile, filled with promises, soft and reassuring came to rest on her pink lips. "I promise. Never again."_

 _"_ _Never again?" he echoed, his hand trailing to the back of her head and nearing her face to his._

 _She fluttered her eyelids close as she felt his warm breath fanning over her mouth. "Never again," she whispered._

 _He nodded his head. "Never again," he repeated once more, before cupping her cheeks in both hands._

 _Leaning down, he sealed her lips in a passionate kiss._

* * *

Botan cried, her hands gripping onto his biceps, her nails digging almost painfully so into his skin, as he slammed against the sensitive spot inside her. "Shuichi… Shuichi… Shuichi…" she panted over and over like a soft, breathless prayer as he continued to love her, the heat and pleasure becoming almost too unbearable.

She mewled, he thrusted, and then she came, her screams muffled in a kiss as his lips crashed on top of hers and his seed spurted inside her.

"Botan…"

* * *

 _"_ _And here I was trying to be a romantic," he murmured, before expelling another sigh. "Okay, let me rephrase that," he said as he inhaled a deep breath, closing his eyes. Then, he opened them and looked straight into hers. "Be mine forever and ever, don't ever leave, don't ever be with someone else, because you belong to me. And this ring," He slipped the ring on her finger, eyeing her transfixed gaze, "this ring symbolizes that we are tied together in an unbreakable bond. You and I, forever destined to be together." He smiled. "Now shut up and stop asking questions; just say yes and let me kiss you until I leave you breathless."_

* * *

Botan squirmed, but not in a bad way, as she felt Kurama's fingers lightly tickle her sensitive ear. He tucked a strand of blue hair behind her ear, his smile making her giddy, and his loving stare causing her heart to pound. She heaved a contented sigh, eyelids fluttering close, as his mouth lightly pecked hers. Her eyes slowly opened, just in time for him to lean in and kiss her again, this time firmer.

She giggled as he moved until he was on top of her, and hooked her right leg around his waist. He kissed her again, this time laughing with her as her lips danced rhythmically with his.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips, his hot breath ghosting over her mouth and tickling her, "my wife."

"And I love you," and she cupped his cheeks in her lithe hands, her warmth sapping into his skin, "my husband."

"Forever?" he asked, the worry and fear laced in his voice barely inconceivable as he pulled away to study her with a serious expression.

And she didn't hesitate when she answered, "Forever."

 **-Fin-**

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope I did a good job at the wedding scene. And I feel as if the ending is kinda rushed… but, oh well, I might rewrite it, but then, I probably won't. But, I feel that it's about time to end this story here. Sad to say, but it's true; this is the end. I might write a companion piece, but I'm not sure what: I have three stories in mind; First, a sequel – or more like a prequel – of Botan's and Kurama's relationship before those seven years of separation (I think I used this line a lot in this story), second, a continuation of what happened after their wedding; children, life, etc., and third, sort of a side story to this fic, except it's more Kuronue/Shizuru centered. I don't know what to choose, because I kinda want to write them all, but I know I have other stories to finish so I might not. Hmm… Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this piece, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did when I wrote it. Thank you for all your support, and I wish you a good day!


End file.
